Note: This is a really long scripture reading, but I promise it's worth the time investment. This is Psalm 22 from Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, "The Message." It's very powerful, and from the opening of this Psalm came Jesus' quote from the cross, often translated, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me..."
Psalm 22
A David Psalm
1-2 God, God...my God!
Why did you dump me miles from nowhere?
Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long.
No answer. Nothing.
I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.
3-5 And you!
Are you indifferent,
above it all,
leaning back on the cushions of Israel's praise?
We know you were there for our parents:
they cried for your help and you gave it;
they trusted and lived a good life.
6-8 And here I am,
a nothing—an earthworm,
something to step on, to squash.
Everyone pokes fun at me;
they make faces at me, they shake their heads:
"Let's see how God handles this one;
since God likes him so much, let him help him!"
9-11 And to think you were midwife at my birth,
setting me at my mother's breasts!
When I left the womb you cradled me;
since the moment of birth you've been my God.
Then you moved far away and trouble moved in next door.
I need a neighbor.
12-13 Herds of bulls come at me,
the raging bulls stampede,
Horns lowered, nostrils flaring,
like a herd of buffalo on the move.
14-15 I'm a bucket kicked over and spilled,
every joint in my body has been pulled apart.
My heart is a blob of melted wax in my gut.
I'm dry as a bone, my tongue black and swollen.
They have laid me out for burial in the dirt.
16-18 Now packs of wild dogs come at me;
thugs gang up on me.
They pin me down hand and foot,
and lock me in a cage
—a bag Of bones in a cage,
stared at by every passerby.
They take my wallet and the shirt off my back,
and then throw dice for my clothes.
19-21 You, God—don't put off my rescue!
Hurry and help me!
Don't let them cut my throat;
don't let those mongrels devour me.
If you don't show up soon, I'm done for
—gored by the bulls, meat for the lions.
22-24 Here's the story I'll tell my friends
when they come to worship,
and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:
Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers;
give glory, you sons of Jacob;
adore him, you daughters of Israel.
He has never let you down,
never looked the other way
when you were being kicked around.
He has never wandered off to do his own thing;
he has been right there, listening.
25-26 Here in this great gathering for worship
I have discovered this praise-life.
And I'll do what I promised
right here in front of the God-worshipers.
Down-and-outers sit at God's table and eat their fill.
Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising him.
"Live it up, from head to toe. Don't ever quit!"
27-28 From the four corners of the earth
people are coming to their senses,
are running back to God.
Long-lost families
are falling on their faces before him.
God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word.
29 All the power-mongers are before him —worshiping!
All the poor and powerless, too —worshiping!
Along with those who never got it together —worshiping!
30-31 Our children and their children will get in on this
As the word is passed along from parent to child.
Babies not yet conceived will hear the good news
— that God does what he says.
Isn't it amazing that this is an example of prayer, given to us in scripture?
If God was worried about looking good...is this the kind of scripture that we would receive? If God believed in censorship, would such a psalm ever have seen the light of day?
This psalm represents a deeply honest, painful struggle against reality. And it also represents the first and very best prayer: "Help Me!"
So much has been written about prayer.
So many Christians carry guilt, afraid that they don't do it right, that they might say the wrong thing to God, or that they're just not faithful enough or don't "feel" all the tingles that they think they should when they pray.
"My prayers don't get any higher than the ceiling," a faithful Christian person once told me. He was deeply frustrated and felt like he was failing in this spiritual discipline.
Stop for a moment, and really take another look at this prayer.
It is amazing.
It is open. It's beautiful, but not necessarily eloquent or elegant.
It's earthy, full of guts and pain. It is a cry for help, a cry of outrage, and an affirmation of faith...all at once.
Most of all, it is a plea..."help me."
Powerful things begin to happen in our lives when we earnestly let our heart and lips express that appeal to God. "Help me."
He will respond.
Let it go, whatever it is...because that is the heart of real prayer.
Prayer: We give you thanks for this psalm that teaches us that sometimes everyone feels the depth of pain and struggle. Even so, we remember these words, quoted by Jesus on the cross, and know that the deepest pain can be redeemed into resurrection in your love.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.
Tomorrow's Scripture: James 1:5-6
Why did you dump me miles from nowhere?
Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long.
No answer. Nothing.
I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.
3-5 And you!
Are you indifferent,
above it all,
leaning back on the cushions of Israel's praise?
We know you were there for our parents:
they cried for your help and you gave it;
they trusted and lived a good life.
6-8 And here I am,
a nothing—an earthworm,
something to step on, to squash.
Everyone pokes fun at me;
they make faces at me, they shake their heads:
"Let's see how God handles this one;
since God likes him so much, let him help him!"
9-11 And to think you were midwife at my birth,
setting me at my mother's breasts!
When I left the womb you cradled me;
since the moment of birth you've been my God.
Then you moved far away and trouble moved in next door.
I need a neighbor.
12-13 Herds of bulls come at me,
the raging bulls stampede,
Horns lowered, nostrils flaring,
like a herd of buffalo on the move.
14-15 I'm a bucket kicked over and spilled,
every joint in my body has been pulled apart.
My heart is a blob of melted wax in my gut.
I'm dry as a bone, my tongue black and swollen.
They have laid me out for burial in the dirt.
16-18 Now packs of wild dogs come at me;
thugs gang up on me.
They pin me down hand and foot,
and lock me in a cage
—a bag Of bones in a cage,
stared at by every passerby.
They take my wallet and the shirt off my back,
and then throw dice for my clothes.
19-21 You, God—don't put off my rescue!
Hurry and help me!
Don't let them cut my throat;
don't let those mongrels devour me.
If you don't show up soon, I'm done for
—gored by the bulls, meat for the lions.
22-24 Here's the story I'll tell my friends
when they come to worship,
and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:
Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers;
give glory, you sons of Jacob;
adore him, you daughters of Israel.
He has never let you down,
never looked the other way
when you were being kicked around.
He has never wandered off to do his own thing;
he has been right there, listening.
25-26 Here in this great gathering for worship
I have discovered this praise-life.
And I'll do what I promised
right here in front of the God-worshipers.
Down-and-outers sit at God's table and eat their fill.
Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising him.
"Live it up, from head to toe. Don't ever quit!"
27-28 From the four corners of the earth
people are coming to their senses,
are running back to God.
Long-lost families
are falling on their faces before him.
God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word.
29 All the power-mongers are before him —worshiping!
All the poor and powerless, too —worshiping!
Along with those who never got it together —worshiping!
30-31 Our children and their children will get in on this
As the word is passed along from parent to child.
Babies not yet conceived will hear the good news
— that God does what he says.
Isn't it amazing that this is an example of prayer, given to us in scripture?
If God was worried about looking good...is this the kind of scripture that we would receive? If God believed in censorship, would such a psalm ever have seen the light of day?
This psalm represents a deeply honest, painful struggle against reality. And it also represents the first and very best prayer: "Help Me!"
So much has been written about prayer.
So many Christians carry guilt, afraid that they don't do it right, that they might say the wrong thing to God, or that they're just not faithful enough or don't "feel" all the tingles that they think they should when they pray.
"My prayers don't get any higher than the ceiling," a faithful Christian person once told me. He was deeply frustrated and felt like he was failing in this spiritual discipline.
Stop for a moment, and really take another look at this prayer.
It is amazing.
It is open. It's beautiful, but not necessarily eloquent or elegant.
It's earthy, full of guts and pain. It is a cry for help, a cry of outrage, and an affirmation of faith...all at once.
Most of all, it is a plea..."help me."
Powerful things begin to happen in our lives when we earnestly let our heart and lips express that appeal to God. "Help me."
He will respond.
Let it go, whatever it is...because that is the heart of real prayer.
Prayer: We give you thanks for this psalm that teaches us that sometimes everyone feels the depth of pain and struggle. Even so, we remember these words, quoted by Jesus on the cross, and know that the deepest pain can be redeemed into resurrection in your love.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.
Tomorrow's Scripture: James 1:5-6
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