There are two things about which I wish to write… Something I read online in a “Biblical Leadership Forum,” and Psalm 22:1 – 3. The first one both saddens and angers me. The second challenges my love of God. I will go with the second.
You know this Psalm, it is one of the clearly messianic Psalms. It describes in some detail some aspects of Christ’s crucifixion, Christ quotes he first part of verse 1 on the cross. The thing that grabbed me today was what it revealed about both David’s heart and mine.
David is crying out for deliverance. His sense is that his words, prayers are not going beyond the ceiling. Look at the contrasts (the words “but” and “yet”). David cries out by day but God does not answer. He cries out by night but has no rest, still not answer. David is pouring his heart out to God day and night and getting no response.
That happens to me, I am not happy. First I am probably going to toss and turn and worry rather than pray, so there is one difference between David and me. But the bigger difference is the next contrast, Yet You are holy. David’s response to God’s unresponsiveness is to declare God’s holiness. Not my first response.
David got whose story this is. This is about God. It is centered on Him, not us. It is His agenda that matters not ours (which, by the way, is what saddened and angered me about the first thing on which I was thinking about writing). When I do not get what I want in prayer. My heart response is not like David’s. I wonder why God has abandoned me like David did. I guess I know that He is still holy, but I am more focused on me than Him. That is a strong rebuke for me. David’s response is also a clue as to why God called David a man after My own heart, Acts 13:22, 1 Samuel 13:14.
David is crying out for deliverance. His sense is that his words, prayers are not going beyond the ceiling. Look at the contrasts (the words “but” and “yet”). David cries out by day but God does not answer. He cries out by night but has no rest, still not answer. David is pouring his heart out to God day and night and getting no response.
That happens to me, I am not happy. First I am probably going to toss and turn and worry rather than pray, so there is one difference between David and me. But the bigger difference is the next contrast, Yet You are holy. David’s response to God’s unresponsiveness is to declare God’s holiness. Not my first response.
David got whose story this is. This is about God. It is centered on Him, not us. It is His agenda that matters not ours (which, by the way, is what saddened and angered me about the first thing on which I was thinking about writing). When I do not get what I want in prayer. My heart response is not like David’s. I wonder why God has abandoned me like David did. I guess I know that He is still holy, but I am more focused on me than Him. That is a strong rebuke for me. David’s response is also a clue as to why God called David a man after My own heart, Acts 13:22, 1 Samuel 13:14.
Good point, Mike. Reminded me of a similar pivot/turning point in focus of Jonah's prayer: from self to God, Jonah 2:6 "yet you..."
ReplyDeleteGreat Cross Reference. Jonah is a great study...
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