Psalm 22:2-4 "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. (3) But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (4) Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them."
Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure
they are and were created."
In verse one, David cried out because he felt God had forsaken him. Aren't you
glad our relationship with the Lord God Almighty is not based on our feelings
or our emotions? Let me state one fact of doctrine before looking at the
practical application of today's verses. God is worthy to be praised
because He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners, of whom I
am chief. Our relationship with the Lord is based solely upon the work of
our Lord Jesus Christ. He was indeed forsaken on the cross in order to secure
us and be certain that you and I will never be forsaken.
That being said, our feelings and emotions come into play as we think upon the
goodness of our God. In this "night season" that David was
enduring, he never forgot the goodness of the LORD. He was not questioning
God's goodness; rather, he was wondering why there seemed to be such a distance
in his way of thinking. As he was crying out to God, he stated a fact
that is good for us to always remember and hold in our hearts: The Lord
inhabits the praise of His people. What does that mean?
David was saying, "Even in my night season (darkness of understanding), I
will praise God. Even when things are not going the way I planned, I will
praise God. When the world seems upside down, I will praise God. When
everyone seems to be against me, I will praise God." I included Revelation
4:11 for the words, "Thou art worthy." Yes, God is worthy of
our praise. When is He worthy? Is He only due praise when we get our way?
Is He only due praise when everything seems to be right in our world? Is
He only due praise when He blesses us even beyond what we asked? God is
worthy of our praise, no matter what is going on in our lives. This is
what David is saying to us. And as we praise the Lord, the distance between us
seems to grow closer.
When it seems we are having difficulty making the connection, as was David
during the time of this Psalm, then we can reach back and remember how God has
blessed us in the past. We can remember how God has blessed our parents and our
family. If we have trouble connecting with that, then reach back farther. How
far? I would suggest we reach back into the Word of God. Be reminded of
the blessings of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, Peter, and John. God
never changes. If we can remember how Jesus lifted Peter when he was sinking in
the water, how He opened the eyes of the blind, healed the lepers, brought His
people through the wilderness, gave David courage to stand before the giant,
and all the other times of blessings, we will find our faith being increased.
For you see, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. This
is why it is so important to stay in the Word and feed our faith instead of our
fear. God bless us all to do so.