“Yet...”
Psalm 22:1-5
Our Lesson today offers us one of the most poignant and heartfelt cries to God found in Scripture. It’s a lament... expressing the desperation and deep anguish of the psalmist... attributed to David, and was written centuries before Jesus’ crucifixion.
The raw emotion of this Psalm resonates with us, even today... and we relate to these “ancient words”, because they reverberate from a place of personal experience. Psalm 22 speaks to the moments of life when we feel abandoned, isolated, exiled from God. Times when our prayers seem to fall on deaf hears. And we feel like God is hiding himself from us!
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?”
God’s Word never shies away from the Truth... even when the Truth is uncomfortable/unwelcomed.
And the Truth is: We all feel forsaken at times, don’t we? Friends turn from us. Family turns on us. We find we can’t trust our employers (layoff, someone younger takes our place). Divorce can feel like exile, abandonment. Disease. Grief. All of these things, and a thousand more, leave us feeling forsaken... lost... isolated.
Of course, God’s People (the people of Israel) could relate wholeheartedly. They’d been exiled multiple times... forsaken to live as slaves in Egypt, and captives in Babylon; they brought it on themselves, by abandoning God first. But, regardless, they understood the feeling of abandonment... of isolation from God. The Psalmist says, “I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.”
The Prophet Habakkuk basically said the same thing: (1:2) “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (2:13) “Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous then themselves.” It’s the age old question of “why do bad things happen to good people?”
The fact is: Sometimes God seems to be hiding from our hurt. Closed off from our pain. Dare we say, ignoring us! The theologian Karl Barth referred to God as “the hidden God.”
But don’t misunderstand. God’s not playing “hide-and-seek!” He’s hidden for our greater good. He shields himself from us because He’s merciful and seeks not the destruction of His children. Maybe you remember the story of Moses (Ex. 33:22)... and how when God revealed himself to Moses, he hid Moses in the cleft of a rock - Moses would catch a glimpse of God, and nothing more - because that’s all he take. Had God revealed himself fully Moses would have been destroyed by the sheer presence of the Almighty.
Moses and the burning bush... same thing! God revealed himself to Moses in a way that wouldn’t kill Moses. He shielded and protected Moses by hiding his full glory!
We can NEVER hope to understand or know the ways of God because we’re NOT God. We’re limited, blind, sinful... God is the Creator of everything... infinite, omnipotent, almighty, and hidden (not in darkness)... but in Light. He hides himself behind the brilliant light of his glory.
Children get angry with their parents when they set boundaries and enforce limits - for the child’s on good! The child doesn’t necessarily understand why they can’t eat the whole container of cookies. But the parent knows. And if God is anything... He is a good Father. A Father who when his children are begging bread, will not give a stone.
But like the Psalmist, in our despair, we cry out, “My God, my God, why?”
Of course, these words, we’re echoed by Jesus himself, on the cross during his most trying and vulnerable moments. He quoted Psalm 22 while he was dying for you and me! And that tells us something... something very important.
This question - “Why... God, why have you forsaken me?” - couldn’t possibly be an expression of doubt... but a grand expression of faith! It is the cry of someone who knows God but feels cut off from His presence.
And I don’t care who you are, our how deep your faith: This is a universal experience. At some point, we all face times when God seems distant. In those moments, we ask, “God, where are you?” NOT because we LACK FAITH, but because we HAVE faith!
Notice that the psalmist, despite his feelings of being forsaken, continues to address God as “my God.” Even in the pain, there is a connection, a clinging to the truth that God is still God, that God is still in control, that God can still help me!
So we cry out, alongside David and Jesus, “My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from delivering me?”
Then... verse 3.
“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In YOU our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.” (Psalm 22:3-4)
I’ve pointed out to you in the bible studies and sermon over the years, that quite often the smallest of words in scripture carry the most weight. For example:
“If you love me,” says Jesus in John 15:14... “If you love me, keep my commandments.” IF is the conditional word. It’s just two letters... but it’s weight and importance are immeasurable. Jesus could have said, “Since you love me...” or “Because you love me.” That’s not what he said. He said “If” - and “if” carries a very different connotation.
Another small word with huge implications: BUT. Just three letters. Jesus said, in Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” That tiny little three letter word makes all the difference.
And in our Lesson today... the tiny little word that makes all the difference... is YET.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far away? Why don’t you answer me?
YET... “you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.”
After pouring our his heart before God... expressing his personal despair, the psalmist remembers God’s faithfulness. He recalls how his ancestors trusted in God, and God delivered them. This remembrance is not merely a nostalgic reflection but a declaration of God’s consistent character. Even when we feel abandoned, God remains the Holy One, enthroned and sovereign. And God is constantly pursing His loving purpose, His covenant commitment to make all things new in Jesus Christ. Or, as Paul said, “In all things, God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
When we are in the midst of suffering, it can be difficult to see beyond our pain. But reflecting on God’s faithfulness helps anchor our hearts. The same God who delivered His people in the past is the very same God who is present with us in our trials.
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