A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 “He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.
My Understanding: This is a prayer of David, and yet prophetic in parts, as well, concerning Jesus Christ’s crucifixion on the cross for our sins when he prayed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had taken upon himself the sins of the entire world on the cross where he died, so his soul was forlorn – lonely, neglected, abandoned, sad, and suffering greatly, so much so that he felt as though his own Father had forsaken him. Jesus was scorned by men, despised by the people, mocked, and insulted because of who he said he was, and because of the things he taught and did that did not go well with the establishment of his day. They pierced Jesus’ hands and feet, and they divided his garments among them, and cast lots for his clothing. Hebrews 2:17-18 says this about Jesus:
“For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
So, when we are going through times of great suffering, and when we find ourselves in circumstances of our lives where we identify with many of the words of the psalmist, and we are experiencing the pain and the anguish of unjust suffering, we can rest assured that Jesus Christ knows and understands all that we are going through, and he has not forsaken us, even though we may feel at times as though he is far off and that he has forgotten about us. If we are truly his, and we are placing our trust in his hands, he will be faithful to accomplish in our lives every good purpose that he has for us through whatever trials we may be up against, because we serve a faithful God.
As a result of David’s deliverance, he proclaimed that he would declare the name of God to his brothers, and in the congregation of the saints of God he would praise the Lord’s name. As well, he would call upon those who fear the Lord to praise the Lord, and he would call all those who are in God’s family to honor and to revere God. He also declared that he would fulfill his vows to God before all who fear the Lord. And, as a result of this newfound faith in God, many throughout the earth would remember God and would turn to the Lord. They would bow down before him, they would worship God in humility and repentance (turning from sin), and future generations would be told about the Lord, too.
God is in control of our lives. Nothing going on in our lives escapes his notice. Nothing can happen to us but what God allows it and he allows it for a purpose. God even allows us to go through great trials, times of severe testing, and times when we will be treated just like Jesus was treated; times when we identify with the psalmist. Sometimes we are treated thus because of sin in our lives, and other times we may be treated thus when we are living in a right relationship with God, and thus we are being treated unjustly. Yet none of us is completely sinless and none of us has reached perfection, so God allows us to go through such times to purify our hearts, to revive us, to strengthen us in the faith, and/or to bring us to the place where we no longer live for ourselves or our own desires, but we are determined that we will spend the rest of our days living out and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And, as a result of the changes in our own hearts, and our newfound commitments to serve the Lord Jesus, and to be his witnesses to others, and even calling others to faith and commitment to the Lord, as well, many will hear the gospel message, and many will turn to the Lord Jesus in faith. And, because of that, future generations will also be told about the Lord.
So, what I believe this is teaching us is that we need to trust the Lord Jesus in whatever trials he may take us through. We need to bow before him, seeking his face, inquiring of him as to what changes he wants to make in our hearts and lives, and we need to allow him to work a transformation of his grace in our hearts so that we come out of the trial with a much stronger commitment to obey him and to be his witnesses in word and deed to the world around us for Jesus Christ, so that many can hear the gospel, and so that many can come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and Lord (master), too.
Be Still, My Soul / Katharina von Schlegel / Jean Sibelius
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in every change God faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future, as in ages past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9zHn4QSH-8
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