“To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? why art Thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalms 22:1)
David in his anguish writes the words that become the last words Jesus spoke on the cross before His death. This was during a very dark time for David written about a thousand years before Christ. David from a very young age came to know the presence of God in his worship when he was alone caring for his father’s sheep. He knew God’s voice and trusted God as a warrior and then as king. And although God blessed him, helped him and exalted him above all other men, David went through some very dark times.
David knew God would help him and deliver him from any enemy. But although it’s not known in which dark period David wrote this psalm, we feel his anguish at not feeling God’s presence during this time. We must remember that in those days, not everyone heard from God. God’s presence didn’t indwell in anyone before the ascension of Christ. God communicated with the high priest, with kings and prophets when the Spirit of God would come over a person enabling them to carry out God’s Will. All others at all other times, followed the Law given by Moses.
God uses David’s agony expressed in this psalm, prophetically to reveal the Messiah. Jesus pointed to this psalm about Him revealing that He is the Messiah. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) It’s difficult for us to understand the complete separation of Jesus from the Father. For eternity They were one. But when He became our sin sacrifice, He was severed from God, from Goodness, from Love, from Peace, from Life. And Jesus died not only physically, but spiritually for us so that we could live.
There are times in our lives, even as children of God (John 1:12) in which it seems that God’s presence is not with us because of the gravity of the situation or the circumstances we are going through. But although it seems that God’s presence is not with us, it only seems that way. If we have the Holy Spirit indwelling, we will always be connected to the Father and to Jesus. We have God’s promise that He would never leave us. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) And He has promised to always be with us. “...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
In our dark times, it’s hard to believe that God is near. We may ask ourselves, why God is allowing this seeing I am a child of God. We know it’s not punishment for sin. But our guilty memory goes there inevitably. All our sin, past, present and future is forgiven. John wrote: “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” (1John 3:21) And the opposite is true. When we sin and we do because we’re not perfect yet (1John 1:8) God doesn’t condemn us (Romans 8:1), but our memory of that sin does. So, when things get difficult or worse tragic in our lives, our minds immediately think about our sin. But our sin has been forgiven. God has provided for repentance of sin that we fall into because of our flesh which is not redeemed nor changed. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)
I have written many times that when we recognize sin in our lives, we must repent of it and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to deliver us from that part of the old man. It’s the perfect time to allow the Holy Spirit to give us victory over that and allow Him to make us more and more in the image of Christ.
But there are times when out of nowhere, the situation turns tragic. It’s out of our hands. There is nothing that we can do to remedy the situation. Our prayers may go unanswered, and it may seem that God’s presence has left us. We must first believe God is still with us. We must believe that God will bring us through it. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4) And although one may feel like death is near, know that God has our best in mind. No matter how tragic, how dark, how desperate the situation, God is near, and God knows what is best because our eternity is most important to God. A question that may arise is, “What if I die?” If you die, you will immediately be in God’s presence and be face to face with Jesus. “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1) But in most cases, God is dealing with us as children and not punishing us, but dealing with us, correcting our priorities or refocusing our purpose and destiny.
The desolation we may feel is nothing like the desolation Jesus went through. Remember that He took our desolation upon Himself so that we would always be in the presence of God, our Father. The absence of the presence of God we may feel is nothing like the separation Jesus underwent when He took our sin upon Himself so that we would always be with Him and He with us.
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