Thoughts for another day

May 25, 2012

Today's verse: Ps. 22:1. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from the words of my groaning? (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

The Word we hear above is from the lips of a man in much agony.   Didn't we hear the same Word from the lips of our Blessed Savior when His ordeal on the Cross was great?  At that time, He could not feel His Father's Presence as His mind was suffused with pain and though there were people around Him, He was lonely for His world, His Father was nowhere!  His senses had numbed and His sinews, bereft of any pain, made Him utter the Word in the depth of His trial.  He uttered them for He was close to His Father and not finding His Father with Him, tore His heart and His shrill cry pierced the lattice of the air, reverberating across the valley near Mount Calvary.

So too, David must have been in great agony when the Word of the psalm escaped His lips.  Imagine, a man after God's own heart couldn't hear the footsteps of God which he always did in the past even as he walked the treacherous mountain paths with his sheep across the hilly terrain.  It must've been a time of great torment for David to reach the heart of God for his enemies had surrounded him as strong bulls and roaring lions.  Even the tears that fell from his face, he reckoned had fallen vainly for where was He, the God of His heart who stored his tears in His bottle?

We too at times, in the quiet of our hearts cry out similarly, for surging billows lambast us with their torments.  Heaven seems to have shut its doors and the world seems to be filled with dread.  We try to rise, failing to find the strength to do so. We cry out in the night as agony shakes us, as do fierce winds, the dry leaves of a tree; yet there's no answer to our cry and all around there's silence.  God must have left my world is what I surmise and there's no succor for me now; and I lie in the embers of an ancient fire, waiting for the life to ebb out of me… but suddenly I see a crack in the huge menacing black clouds above.  Wait, this frail voice tells me, and reflect; didn't the Ancient of days rise to help David?  Didn't the glorious Father, the Author of the Word not rise to raise His Messiah?   Faith surges within as hope dazzles across my despondent sky and I'm raised to praise the Name of my God: the El Shaddai, Yahweh Yireh for He is Yahweh Shammah, my Yahweh Rohi and Yahweh Rapha.  And I stand erect to glorify Him, the Lord of Glory.