“But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22: 3 NKJV)
Have you ever felt that the Lord has forsaken you?
If you have, you are not alone.
I have asked God the question, “God why have You abandoned me, when I need You so desperately?” It is comforting to me that David wondered the same thing in Psalm 22:1a, and Jesus Himself asked that question in Mark 15:34.
We will focus on the third verse of Psalm 22 today, but I would encourage you to read and meditate on the entire Psalm when you have opportunity to do so.
The Psalm begins with David’s questioning the Lord’s presence with him. David was calling out to God in his time of distress, but God remained silent for a while. Throughout the Psalm, David’s inner turmoil is revealed. He is clearly being tormented by his circumstances, and ridiculed by people.
Yet, in the midst of his trials, his faith in God sustains him as he recalls God’s faithfulness to him, and his descendants. David tells God about his need and his feelings of abandonment, but he also makes declarations of trust in God. Despite how David FEELS, his faith in God transcends the circumstances that are visible to him.
God did hear David’s prayers, and He did answer them.
This passage offers a good example of how we should approach God in prayer, and the attitude we should maintain in the face of adversity.
David was honest and sincere with God, as he told Him about his feelings. He continued to pray about his feelings and his conditions, instead of giving up. He had spent considerable time in God’s presence and sought to know Him intimately. So, when adversity came, David was strong in his faith and knowledge of God, which enabled him to withstand against his doubts and his fears.
This passage also offers a good illustration of God’s faithfulness to His people; past, present and future. David had reason to trust God’s faithfulness because he had known God to be faithful to him in his own life. He had been told about God’s faithfulness to his predecessors in vs. 4-5 which says, “Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.” In vs. 30-31, we read about his hope for the future, “A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.”
It’s good to remember that, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) We should also remember Jesus’ words in Hebrews 13:5b, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
It honors God when we know what His Word says, and we stand on it in every situation. As we see Him and His faithfulness in our lives, our praises to Him can be more authentic. Let’s remember to praise Him today. He inhabits the praises of His people. He is a holy God. He is set apart, and He alone deserves our awe and our praises. As Psalm 22:3 says, “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.”
My prayer is, “Holy Lord, I praise You. I worship You. Thank You for telling us about David’s faith in You, and the others we read about in Your Word. May those of us adults in the present, those who are young now or yet to come, be faithful to You in all our ways. Please help us to leave a heritage of faithfulness to You for future generations. Please help us to testify to Your faithfulness to us now and always. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
