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.
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.
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.
_____________
What jumps out at me today is dual nature of this psalm. It is a description of the agony of Christ on the cross. And at the same time, it is a prayer that we can pray today when we are feeling opposed and oppressed.
There are differences between these two ways of viewing the psalm. Some of the descriptions are quite literal in picturing the suffering of Christ on the cross, while, when applied to our lives, they most likely should be taken metaphorically. But the biggest difference is that on the cross, the Father had truly forsaken the Son. When we pray these words in our suffering, we are praying to a Father who will never forsake us. We pray with confidence that the petition in verse 19, “But you, Lord, no do b far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me,” will be answered.
The beautiful irony is that our confidence that the Father will answer is grounded in the fact that He did in fact forsake His Son on the cross. Jesus suffered and died for us, and by that suffering and death, has opened for us access to the Father so that we can pray with confidence and expectation that He hears and will answer.
So, my prayer today is one of thanksgiving for the gift of prayer. I am thankful to my Savior for dying and rising for me in order that I might be able to pray in His name at any time and in any circumstance, trusting that because of His mercy and grace, I have a Father who hears, loves, and answers.
NOTE:
Live Stream worship each Sunday at 9:30 AM and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. Not in our sanctuary, but in your home. Please go to this page for more information: https://stjohnslutheran.net/live-streaming-worship-at-st-johns/
If you do not already subscribe to the e-vine, please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/skxrd33
Leave a Reply