Lord, May Your Extravant and Loyal Love Continue: Learning to Pray Psalm 36

^{Psalm 36 offers two ways of life. The way of the wicked (36:1–4) and one rooted in the love of God (36:5–9). These pathways stand in stark contrast. These contrasting portraits of life exist side–by–side in our prayer without any transition between the two. We’ve encountered the two ways in a couple of ways already during our study. Pss 1 and 146 described the ways of the righteous and the ways of the wicked. We’ve also see the voice of the psalmist through the lament psalms claiming personal innocence and connection with God. Ps 36 enriches and deepens these previous black and white modes of thinking. Ps 36 invites those who will learn to pray it to take a look inside and decide whether to align with a life rooted in self or with the expansive love of the LORD.}

¹ I have a message from God in my heart
    concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
    before their eyes.

² In their own eyes they flatter themselves
    too much to detect or hate their sin.
³ The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
    they fail to act wisely or do good.
⁴ Even on their beds they plot evil;
    they commit themselves to a sinful course
    and do not reject what is wrong.

⁵ Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
    your justice like the great deep.
    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house;
    you give them drink from your river of delights.
⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.

¹⁰ Continue your love to those who know you,
    your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹ May the foot of the proud not come against me,
    nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² See how the evildoers lie fallen—
    thrown down, not able to rise! (NIV)

Verse 1 announces that the psalmist has received a message from God. The psalmist shares the content of this message in vv. 1–4. It is a description of what drives a persons to commit sin. The vocabulary of sin and evil is rich in vv. 1–4. English translations struggle to capture the nuances. The psalmist uses just about every Hebrew word for sin available to paint a broad and jarring picture of life apart from faithfulness and love.

Verse 1b roots sin in a lack of fear or dread of God. What is lacking in the a person who embraces the way of wickedness and rebellion is a sense of one’s place in creation. We might say that the person needs a “reality check.” God does not desire us to be terrified of him. Instead, we are to show a respect and submission to God as ruler and judge of creation. The wicked live without regard for any force, person, or power outside of themselves.

Verse 2 continues the description. We find the second occurrence of “eyes.” This points to the cause of sin. The wicked justify their actions apart from any external reference point. We would call this being self-centered. The heart of sin is living out of our own thoughts, plans, will, and talents. When we set our own standards and are accountable only to ourselves, we lose the ability and self-awareness to detect our brokenness and sinful desires. When this reality manifests itself in the masses, chaos ensues as every individual act only out of self-interest rather than in a way of life shaped by a love for God and others.

Verses 3–4 focus on the mess created by unfiltered and unbridled self-will and self-centeredness. There is a loss of wise living and speaking. A sense of the common good is nowhere to be found. Their plans and intentions flow out of their selfishness. This makes it impossible for them to walk in a good pathway. If there is a choice for good or evil, they gravitate toward the way of wickedness.

If verses 1–4 paint picture of self-centered human ugliness, the portrait found in vv. 5–9 is stunning in its description of the beauty and majesty of God. There are two ways of living described in Psalm 36, but there is really no choice. Read through verses 5–9 again. The imagery is breath-taking. When we close our eyes and imagine how we would describe a good and kind God, it would be a challenge to exceed the wondrous description in these five verses.

First, the psalmist addresses God personally as “LORD” for the initial time in this psalm. The psalmist does not want us to forget that he is not talking some generic god. He is talking about the LORD.

Then, the psalmist voices four core attributes of God (vv. 5-6a): love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice. The stress is on the breadth and immensity of these. The LORD possesses an immeasurable and limitless quantity of them. The God to whom we pray acts out of a loyal love that is faithful to all of God’s commitments and relationships. God always does the right thing at the right time every time. These virtues and attributes describe the world that God is bringing about through his mission. Notice the focus on relational qualities. Love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice all manifest themselves in relationships between God and others. This is the exact opposite of the mode of life of the wicked. Their focus is on self; the LORD’s focus is on good of creation.

Verse 6b declares the full implication of the LORD’s love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice. Our translation reads, “You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.” The word preserve is more often translated save or deliver. The LORD is a god who preserves and/or saves people and animals. God’s commitment to relational wholeness means that God cares about people and animals.

This truth is life-giving. “Unfailing love” is the same word as “love” in v. 5. This is the core dimension of the God of Scripture. It is affirmed in both Old and New Testaments that God is love (cf. Exod 34:6 and 1 John 4:16). Humanity can find true refuge and protection in the “shadow of your wings.” This is a reference to the Jerusalem temple. This does not mean that God’s protection is confined to one place. The temple is a symbol of God’s refuge that is universally available to all who know him.

Verses 8–9 emphasize the extravagant abundance available to those who seek refuge in the LORD. The vocabulary invites us to imagine that we are feasting and drinking at God’s table. The portions are endless and the very best that are available. If the portrait of wickedness is dark and pointless, the abundance of God is about life and light. The LORD is love. Life as God intends is beautiful and rich. In John 10:10 Jesus puts it this way, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

The psalmist now reaches the point of decision. Up to this point, Ps 36 has described two distinct and contrasting ways of living.

Vv. 1–4 center life on decisions and whims of each individual. In the world of verses 1–4, there is a temptation to believe falsely that each man or woman can cut his or her own path through the world as he or she pleases. This is the root of idolatry and injustice. The biblical vision for authentic living flows out of a love for God, people and all creation. In other words, life moves away from self to focus on relationships. Sin and wickedness results from attempting to shape the world to serve and please us. This is what self-centeredness mean. We attempt to live as God. To work out of this framework is to work against the beautiful and just world that God desires and is working to create.

Vv. 5–9 offer a robust and stunning counter-cultural alternative to the way of the wicked. This way of life centers on the one true God–the LORD. The LORD embodies and models relational wholeness by acting in love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice. God’s mission involves saving and preserving all life. God offers all creation security in the present and for all eternity.

So the question turns to us who pray Ps 36? In what mode of living will we find our center? Is life all about us? Or does true life arise out of a dynamic relationship with the LORD of Love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice? At some level this decision is obvious. But will we consciously take this decision and align our lives with the LORD.

In verses 10–12 the psalmist models a prayer in favor of the way of the LORD of Infinite Love. Verse 10 makes the psalmist choice clear. He recognizes the LORD’s way and asks the LORD to continue to cause love and righteousness to abound for those in relationship with the LORD. In other words, he prays, “LORD, continue to be God of abundance that you revealed to me in vv. 5–9.”

This is a counter-cultural choice and remains so today. It is risky to live freely for the sake of others. To privilege a love for God and neighbor over the self-centeredness of the modern (and ancient) world puts us into a position where we can be hurt, used, or manipulated by those who choose the pathway of self-will (vv. 1–4). This is the reason that Ps 36 shifts to a pray for protection from the wicked in vv. 11–12. This is not a prayer against the world as much as it is a prayer for those who desires to live a self-giving life of love and justice in alignment with the character of God (vv. 5–9) and modeled by Jesus in the Gospels. The goal of our witness is to invite the world to experience this truest expression of human life.

© 2015 Brian D. Russell

Blessed is the One Who is Forgiven: Learning to Pray Ps 32

Ps 32 is a lament psalm that serves to teach us how to pray for forgiveness. It is the second of the traditional penitential psalms that we introduced with Ps 6 (the others are Psalms 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143). Psalm 32 offers profound reflection on sin and forgiveness in its two parts: vv. 1–5 and 6–11. It also includes the role of the community of faith in the process of sin, confession, and forgiveness.

¹ Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart! 

    NIV

Vv. 1–2 open Ps 32 with two related beatitudes. This is a psalm about being happy. This is a theme of the Psalter. We’ve seen the word “happy” in our readings of Psalm 1:1, 2:12, and 146:5. Happy means living in a state of God’s blessing.

   What is indicative of being in a state of God-given blessedness according to Psalm 32? It is the experience of the forgiveness of sin. Verses 1–2 reflect on a life of grace: the blessing of forgiveness and a life marked by faithfulness in response to God’s grace. This psalm invites its pray-ers to reflect on our lives before God and our community to be sensitive to our brokenness and bring our sins and failures to the only source of cleansing: the LORD.

   Verses 1–2 makes three statements about sin and forgiveness. The psalmist uses three different words for sin: transgression, sin, and iniquity. The psalmist also deploys three different verbs for God’s response to it: forgiven,  covered, and does not impute. The richness of the vocabulary reminds us of the seriousness of the problem. Psalm 36:1–4, which we will look at this week, likewise offers a broad description of sin. Sin is serious business. God calls us to love God and love others (including ourselves). Sin is the totality of acts and motivations that move us away from living fully as the people whom God created us to be. Sin finds its root in self-will apart from living moment–by–moment in relationship with God. It involves outright acts of rebellion and times when we miss the mark (intentional or unintentional). Broadly it also includes an attitude or will that continually intends or desires a path contrary to God’s loving ways.

   Part of the story of us all is the problem of our brokenness. Sin drags on us. It hurts us. It weighs on us in the depths of our beings. Verses 3–4 describe the psalmist’s own testimony of sin’s effects on the psalmist. Yet this psalm contains good news. God does not leave us in our struggles, alienations, and despair due to our sin. God acts to cleanse us. 

   What does it take to experience God’s cleansing? All it takes is voicing our need for God. In verse 5, the psalmist models the response of the faithful: confession and acknowledgement to God. When we recognize our faults and flaws, this opens us up for the work of God in our lives. The psalmist testifies that God has indeed forgiven him. 

   The second half of Ps 32 serves as a witness to the community about good news of forgiveness. Verse 6 opens with an exhortation to all in faithful relationship with God to continue to pray. The apostle Paul will later advise some of the earliest Christians, “Pray continually” (1 Thes 5:17). Prayer connects us with God. We abide in God through prayer. The psalter has explored prayers of praise and prayers for help. Prayers of confession remind us that we must stay in relationship with God even when we have created the mess that surrounds us.

   The faithful will find security with God. The psalmist moves from exhortation to the faithful to direct address of God. God secures the psalmist’s future despite the sins that he committed and confessed. This does not mean that the psalmist escaped any consequences. He hinted at them in verses 3–4. But our text does declare the consequences are finite in comparison with God’s infinite capacity to forgive and create a new future for the psalmist. This is good news for the psalmist and for us!

   Verses 8–9 introduces a new voice to the psalm. In these verses, someone from the community, perhaps a priest, speaks wise counsel and instruction into the psalmist’s life. This is a critical component for the psalmist as he lives into the experience of forgiveness and restoration. There were reasons for wrong behavior and actions. If the root causes of sin are not addressed, we can easily turn them into recurring patterns. As part of the experience of forgiveness that Ps 32 envisions, the community comes alongside of the forgiven psalmist to provide guidance so that the psalmist does not embody the worst characteristics of a horse or mule—a lack of understanding. The Christian faith is not a solitary adventure. God’s people exists to serve as a missional community that reflects God’s character. Our sins mute our witness to the world. As a community of faith we need each other’s support, prayers, and guidance as we seek to follow Jesus into the world on mission. Verses 8–9 invite us to listen to our community at the times of our own deep need for forgiveness.  
   
   Verses 10–11 bring Ps 32 to a conclusion by announcing a sure foundation for living our lives. The psalmist briefly mentions the challenges and woes of the wicked. If we choose to live in our sins, we will experience hardships. This is true for all people. But there is good news: the LORD’s committed and faithful love abides with all who trust and find true security in the LORD. When we choose the way of faith and faithfulness, we are able to live in the joy that verse 11 invites us to embody. Our rejoicing serves as a testimony to the watching world.  

How the Psalms Understand and Deal with Human Sin: Pss 32 and 36 as Case Studies

One of the presuppositions of Scripture is that humanity is lost apart from the grace, love, and kindness of God. God’s grace and love manifest most fully in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus our Messiah. Due to human sin, we all find ourselves living with the fruit of our own actions as well as the actions of others (past and present). Sin manifests itself in guilt, shame, alienation, brokenness, and injustice. God’s mission is to reverse the results of sin by creating a missional people through whom God will bless the nations (Gen 12:3, Exod 19:5–6, 1 Peter 2:9). The Risen Jesus sends us into this world. Paul summarizes the plight and possibility of our world this way: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:23–24).

How do we pray as we seek to live faithfully in our lost and fallen world? Psalms 32 and 36 focus on human sin and wickedness. They address this issue from two different perspectives. Both are psalms of lament, but they have different intentions.

Psalm 32 is a lament for the forgiveness of sin. It serves a key role in the psalter by teaching us how to pray when we as God’s people act unfaithfully and find ourselves in need of God’s forgiving grace. Psalm 32 models a prayer of confession so that we can experience God’s cleansing grace anew and refocus our lives on God’s mission.

Psalm 36 is a lament about wickedness. It is similar to Ps 1 in its stark contrast of two diametrically opposed ways of making it through the world. Psalm 36:1–4 paints a dark and bleak picture of the world and humanity apart from God’s grace. It locates the cause of sin in a self-centeredness that plagues men and women. No good comes from this way of life.

In contrast, the second half of the psalm focuses on the beauty and love of the LORD. Sin, self-centeredness, and alienation do not have to be the final verdict on life. In fact, it is pointless and illogical in contrast to the lavishness of God’s grace, love, and faithfulness that is freely available to all who seek the LORD.

As we reflect carefully on these two psalms in the next two blog post, we have an opportunity to ponder sin on one hand and God’s love and grace on the other. Both are present in the world, but only God’s love will be for all eternity. At this point it is worth reflecting on this question: What would it look like for you to settle the issue of sin and begin to align yourself fully with the love and grace of the LORD?

Trusting Fully in the LORD for Deliverance and Protection: Learning to Pray Ps 25

Psalm 25 is a lament grounded in deep trust. The psalmist prays to the LORD for forgiveness of sin and protection from enemies. This psalm teaches us to pray in trying times and invites us to receive and act on the LORD’s instruction to forge a godly character.

Psalm 25 uses an acrostic design. This means that in the original Hebrew each successive verse begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. This gives the psalm a unity and completeness. Verse 1 begins with the letter aleph and verse 21 with the letter tav. Verse 22 stands outside of the acrostic design and brings the psalm to a conclusion with a final plea for help.

1 In you, LORD my God, I put my trust.

2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

4 Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.

5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.

8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.

14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.

18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.

19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

In verses 1–2, the psalmist twice declares his trust in the LORD. He addresses the LORD as “my God.” He recognizes his dependence on the LORD. This is the proper posture by which to approach the King of Glory (see Ps 24). The psalmist then petitions the LORD to keep him from shame and from the triumphs of his enemies. Verse 3 affirms the psalmist’s faith in the form of an affirmation that those who hope in the LORD will be spared shame at the hands of their enemies. The LORD will instead shame those who are intent on acting wickedly.

The psalmist recognizes his dependence on God and in vv. 4–7 asks for the LORD’s instruction so that he may walk faithfully through the world. Thus far, we’ve read psalms in which there is a clear line between the righteous and the wicked. The psalmist in Ps 25 includes himself with the righteous, but demonstrates a key trait for God’s people to nurture: a teachable spirit mixed with a desire for growth.

In verses 4–5a, the psalmist prays, “Show me your ways.” This is a prayer for the LORD to cause the psalmist to know the LORD’s ways or paths. The assumption is that life is a journey and guidance is necessary. A second assumption is that God is willing and able to teach. The psalmist understands that he needs the GPS of God to help him navigate the world.

In verses 5b–7, the psalmist grounds his prayer in his confidence in the LORD’s character.  In v. 5b, the psalmist declares his loyalty to God. The psalmist is “all in” in his trust. The LORD is plan A, B, C, and D. He recognizes that the LORD is his God and his Savior. 

The psalmist appeals to the core of the LORD’s character: his mercy and faithful love (cf. Exod 34:6–7a). These are the traits that the LORD demonstrated in saving God’s people from bondage in Egypt and in revealing to God’s people the Law on Sinai. The psalmist trusts that God will deal with him in the same way. The psalmist recognizes his own need for cleansing and asks God to deal with him out of his love and goodness. 

As we seek to grow into the people whom God desires for us to be, let us pray out of dependence and need while opening ourselves to God’s cleansing and empowerment.

 

In verses 1–7, the psalmist declared his trust and dependence on the LORD and appealed to the LORD’s love, mercy, and goodness as the basis for forgiving his sins and delivering him from enemies.

Now in the remainder of the psalm (vv. 8–22) the psalmist reiterates his need for deliverance and his belief in the LORD’s goodness. The psalmist moves back and forth in his prayer between proclaiming the guidance and kindness of God with his petitions for God to act to save him.

Verses 8–11 illustrate this well. In verses 8–10, the psalmist praises the LORD for his instruction and guidance. These flow directly out of God’s character. The psalmist describes the LORD as good, upright, loving, and faithful. In other words, the LORD embodies the positive traits that we long to experience in our own lives. The psalmist appeals to these core characteristics of the LORD by crying out for forgiveness for his own sense of lostness. Notice the phrase in v. 11, “for the sake of your name LORD.” The psalmist desires forgiveness not only as means of saving his own neck but for the testimony and honor that it will provide for the LORD. The psalmist can again join in the chorus of creation that will testify to the LORD’s goodness to those who do not know the LORD.

In verses 12–21, the pattern repeats. The psalmist describes God’s character and actions (vv. 12–14) and then the psalmist follows with a longer list of petitions (vv. 15–21). Verses 12–14 describe the benefits of being in proper relationship with the LORD (“those who fear the LORD”). God will instruct them and give them prosperity. The assumption is that God’s people desire and receive this guidance. Verse 14 mentions “covenant.” This likely refers to the Sinai covenant. At Sinai, God offered God’s people a relationship rooted in grace.

In vv. 15–21, the psalmist aligns himself and his hope for a future with the LORD. He sees in the God the only means of release from his bondage and affliction. The psalmist struggles both internally as a result of his sins, but he also faces serious challenges and danger from numerous enemies all around him. He releases all of his hurts and desires to God. This is a key step in prayer. The pray-er relinquishes to God all concerns. Doing this allows God’s people (including us) to live in the moment and free ourselves from the affliction of worry. Verse 21 is a final proclamation of the psalmist’s personal trust. The psalmist is direct and to the point: “my hope, LORD, is in you.” The psalmist does not waffle between options. If there is a way out, it will be through the help of the LORD.

 The psalmist concludes Ps 25 with a general petition for God to act on behalf of God’s people as whole to deliver them from all their troubles. This final verse reminds us that true piety can never be confined to our experiences as individuals. We must be mindful of our neighbor in our prayers too!

My God My God, Why Have Your Forsaken Me (The resolution): Learning to Pray Ps 22:22-31

Poignant lament becomes a testimony of thanksgiving when God answers our prayer. For the psalmist of Ps 22, lament turns to thanksgiving and praise at verse 22. The sorrow of the opening verse “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” morphs into an audacious and free testimony about the power of the LORD to work salvation even in the most hopeless situation.

²² I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly 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 scorned
    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 I will fulfill my vows.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those 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,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

How do we respond to God’s saving work in our lives? With gratitude and public witness. The psalmist knows that God has saved him and makes certain that God gets the credit (v. 22).
Notice that the psalmist’s testimony includes inviting the community to participate in the celebration (vv. 23). This is an important reminder that even psalms that sound individualistic are meant to be heard and shared in community. Following Jesus is not a solitary enterprise. We must always stay connected to our community in times of plenty and in times of want. The psalmist experienced isolation in vv. 1–21. Verses 22–31 model the importance of communal celebration.

In verses 24–25 remind us of the psalmist’s previous plight and summarizes his new found testimony. He had experienced isolation and trauma. He had felt rejected by God. Yet now the psalmist declares the truth: God remained with him. This is deep truth for us. We may feel rejected and alone, but God abides with us. Jesus who knows suffering and pain is our high priest (4:14–16) and extends grace to us in our times of need. God hears our cries and prayers, even our most desperate ones. Moreover, God acts and provides the pray-er with a testimony to share (v. 25).

The deliverance of the psalmist is good news for the world. In verses 26–29 turn to the implications of the psalmist’s experience of salvation for others. God doesn’t just save “me”; God is willing, ready, and able to deliver others. The “other” includes the poor, all who seek the LORD, and even people from the surrounding nations who turn to the LORD. This reminds us of God’s mission. God’s people exist as conduits of God’s grace for the world. This means that our testimony serves not only to encourage other believers but as a word about God’s kingdom to those who do not yet follow Jesus.

Verses 26–29 are inclusive of all: from the prosperous to needy. Verse 29 even hints at persons who have already passed on. The point is this: God’s grace, love, and blessings are available to all who turn to him. The psalmist has experienced this personally and shares this good news with his community and the world.

Verses 30–31 conclude the psalm by emphasizing God’s work in bring deliverance and salvation. God’s acts of grace will carry on and future generations will here of it. The final verdict on human history is this: “He has done it.”

Jesus spoke 22:1 on the cross. Yet Jesus’ death was not the end; God raised Jesus from the dead to secure our future. He, Jesus, has done it indeed. Amen.


What does Ps 22:22–31 teach us about gratitude and giving thanks?

How can we incorporate thanksgiving into our personal lives and into our worship experiences?

How does giving thanks advance God’s mission in the world?

My God, Why Have you Forsaken Me?: Learning to Pray Psalm 22 (vv. 12-18)

The plight of the psalmist reaches its pinnacle in verses 12–18 and his faith is never more steady than in verses 19–21. 

¹² Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ Roaring lions that tear 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 within me.
¹⁵ My mouth 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 surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸ They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

¹⁹ But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver me 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.
The intensity of lament boils in these verses (vv. 12-13). There appears to be no way out for the psalmist. He metaphorically views his enemies as wild and ravenous beasts seeking his life. Close your eyes and picture yourself surrounded by any of the following: a herd of angry bulls, a pride hungry lions, or a pack a wild dogs. Terrifying. This is how the psalmist feels. His body responds physically to the terror and pain (vv. 14–15).

Verses 12–18 connect directly with Jesus’ last hours on the cross. He cried out in thirst, opponents surrounded him, and the soldiers responsible for his execution gambled for his clothing.
These verses are meant to sound extreme because suffering is devastating and shocking. We’ve all experienced it in some form. Whether its the loss of a loved one, the suffering caused by illness (our own or of a loved one), the loneliness and grief of a broken relationship or marriage, or the sheer, or aftermath of some other trauma, the words of Psalm 22 give us vocabulary and phrases and serve to model prayer for moments of authentic desperation. Jesus looked to this psalm. So can we.
 
If verses 12–18 function as the psalmist’s words as he reaches the bottom of the pit, it is profound to remember and recognize that God is still present. This is one of the most vital resources for the faithful. We may literally reach the end of our rope, exhausted all of our resources, and have no one on earth to help us, but our future is not depended on any part of creation. The psalmist continues to hope in God and in verses 19–21 offers a final impassioned cry and pray for help. Read the psalmist’s words in these verses again. Note how they connect with his description of his plight.
 
When we pray to God, we do not have to sugar coat our words. The promise of the Gospel is that God already knows our needs (Matt 6:8). So why hide our true feelings and deepest desires? The psalmist is surrounded on all sides by enemies who seem like famished beasts. So what does he pray for? The psalmists asks specifically for deliverance and rescue from dogs, lions, and wild oxen. Notice that these are in the reverse sequence of their appearance in vv. 12–18 where the order was bulls, lions, and dogs.
 
The psalmist prays for God’s presence and help (v. 19). This is the key to prayer. The psalmist recognizes that God is present, able, willing, and powerful enough to save. Sometimes we mistakenly believe that it is the amount of our faith that activates God’s actions. It’s not. Faith is only as powerful as its object. Our God is able to hear our prayers and bring deliverance. Jesus prayed Psalm 22. This did not alleviate his suffering immediately, but we know that resurrection occurred on the other side of suffering and death. The psalmist in Ps 22 experienced deliverance and answer to his prayers. He will tell us this story in the concluding verses of the psalm (vv. 22–31).

How do verses 12–21 teach us to pray in the midst of our suffering?
 
What role does faith play in our prayers for help?

My God, My God, Why have You Forsaken Me: Learning to Pray Psalm 22:1-11

^{Let us hear the memorable words of Psalm 22:1-11}

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
⁴ In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “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 on 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.

Psalm 22 begins in desperation “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We likely know these words best because Jesus uttered them from the cross (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34). Christ followers have long read Psalm 22 in light of Jesus’ death because the Gospels invite us to do this. The description of the suffering of the psalmist in Psalm 22 connects powerfully and specifically with the abuse and trauma that Jesus experienced during his crucifixion.
 
As we read and study Psalm 22, it is important to see the connections between both Jesus’ death (22:1–21) and resurrection (Ps 22–31). But it is also crucial for us to hear Psalm 22 as a psalm that reflects deeply on suffering and thanksgiving as we may experience it. Here is another way to say this. Psalm 22 does point to Jesus’ death and resurrection, but Jesus chose the to speak the words of Psalm 22 because Jesus wants each of us to understand, know, and feel deep inside of our beings that God truly identifies with us in our suffering and will lift us up to victory through our pain. This is good news.
 
Ps 22:1–2 are the words of a person desperate to hear from God. We do not know the precise specifics of the psalmist’s plight, but he is in a difficult setting and he feels far from God. It is a time when prayers seem to go unanswered and sleep is no where to be found despite our weariness. This is lament to the core. When Jesus spoke these words, he did not literally mean that God had left him. Rather he identifies with human suffering and the feeling in the moment of utter abandonment. When we pray to God out of our desperation, remember that Jesus understands precisely how it feels to be in such a condition.
 
Remember also that extreme despair is no indication of our faith commitments. Notice in verses 1-11 that the psalmist alternates between desperate lament (vv. 1–2 and 6–8) and passionate praise (vv. 3–5 and 9–11). Some of the most beautiful lyrics of worship are here. Verses 3–5 recognize God’s power and prestige as the “Holy One.” God can be trusted and generations of believers have testified to this truth. They prayed to the LORD and found deliverance. This faith is the grounds for the psalmist’s prayer to God. The psalmist wants to experience the same deliverance to which others have witnessed.
 
But in the present, the psalmist is in crisis. Verses 6-8 return us to the psalmist’s reality. These words remind us of the forsakenness of Jesus on the cross and mocking of the crowds as he died. The mocking includes cynical remarks about the futility of the sufferer’s faith.
 
Yet the psalmist again returns to praise in vv. 9–11. The praise is now more personal. The psalmist remembers God’s previous work in his own life. God has guided him from birth. This is reason for hope in the suffering. In verse 11, the psalmist affirms his belief that only God can help him.

When our times in your life that you identified with the psalmist’s sense of forsakenness?

What is the relationship between prayers of help and our words of praise?

How does Jesus’ identification with our suffering shape how we understand and experience times of trial?

Has the LORD Forgotten Me?: Learning to Pray Psalm 13

Psalm 13 serves as a model lament in terms of its directness and simplicity. It’s six verses divide neatly into three parts: vv. 1–2 complaint, vv. 3–4 petition, and vv. 5–6 statement of faith. Psalm 13 is the prayer of an individual who desperately needs God to act.

¹ How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

³ Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
⁴ and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me. (NIV)

In verses 1–2, the question “How long?” repeats four times. This heightens the desperation of the psalmist’s prayer and emphasizes his dire need for the LORD to act. It is clear that the psalmist is suffering deep anguish due to a perceived separation from God and an unspecified action by an enemy.     

Our psalm assumes a deep relationship between the psalmist and the LORD. The psalmist does not understand the absence of God when he needs him the most. How can the God whom he serves faithfully not show up? Sometimes the very faith that we profess can make a difficult trial worse because we can suffer a crisis of faith in addition to having to deal with the trauma of the moment. The psalmist aches internally in the silence of God’s inaction while also feeling humiliated at the hands of his enemy.
 
What do we do in such situations? The temptation may be to change course and seek help in another person or philosophy. But not the psalmist. Instead, the psalmist turns up the volume of his prayer.

Vv. 3–4 puts all of the psalmist’s future hope in the hands of the LORD. Hardships and trials challenge our faith. They cut through our shallow sayings and call us to a renewed and vigorous faith. The psalmist lays out his situation and calls the LORD to act. He addresses God as “O LORD my God.” He may feel as though God is not paying attention to him or that God has withdrawn favor, but the LORD remains his God. He prays in light of this relational certainty. Notice that verses 3–4 contain the same core issues of complaint from vv. 1–2: the perceived absence of God and the threat of an external enemy. The psalmist directly addresses both. He needs God to act in the present or he will die and his adversary will gloat in victory.
 
The tone of the psalm changes dramatically for vv. 5–6. The psalmist has shared his heart. His needs and frustrations are in the open. Now the psalmist is ready to live again. We don’t know the final outcome of the prayers, but the psalmist moves forward in renewed hope and purpose. Verse 5 affirms the psalmist’s faith. He prays emphatically: I trust in God’s steadfast/loyal love and rejoice in God’s ability to deliver. Come what may I will live in this truth. Verse six closes the prayer with a vow. The psalmist anticipates God’s answer and affirms his intention to sing to the LORD for the good outcome that the psalmist will enjoy.

How does this psalm teach us to pray when it seems as though God is not listening to us?

What can we learn about faith in the face of adversity from this psalm?