Let’s take a look at the message of Psalms 22, 23, and 24. Each psalm stands alone. But, together they present a profound message for navigating the journey of faith in this present age. In these psalms we move from suffering to faith and hope.
In Psalm 22, the psalmist cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” As we read the words of this psalm we experience the depth of human suffering – shock and denial, anger and depression. Trauma and suffering challenge our faith. The psalmist cried out, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a piece of pottery, and my tongue clings to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death” (Psalm 22:14-15 NASB 2020). We are reminded that the words of Psalm 22 are remembered as Jesus’ cry of dereliction as he was dying on the cross. In the fully divine, fully human person of Jesus Christ, God experiences the hopelessness of human suffering – death, the grave and hades. Even so, this is not a confession of faithlessness. At the point of his greatest suffering, Jesus declares, “My God, my god…” In the same breath he acknowledges suffering and faith. In so doing, he declares that God is faithful in our darkest moments of life. Yes indeed, there are long, torturous moments of silence – those times when it seems that God is far removed from our suffering, and deaf to our cries for help. The long silence is broken with the affirmation that God “has answered me!” (22:21).
The lament of Psalm 22 is answered in Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd and I will not be in need.” These are words of comfort and a declaration of Faith. God is not absent, nor is God deaf. God is the divine shepherd that guides us and provides for us as we journey through the barren wilderness of life. The psalmist declares, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me!” (23:4). Just as Jesus embodies the lament of Psalm 22, he embodies the comfort of Psalm 23. Jesus declared, “I am the good shepherd!” He searches for the lost sheep, he defends the sheep from predators, he nourishes the sheep with his own body and blood. The good shepherd is our divine/human mediator who intercedes on our behalf, and sends the Holy Spirit to help, comfort, and empower us!
In Psalm 24, the psalmist exults, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who live in it.” This is a declaration of the sovereignty of God. The is the God who created the heavens and the earth; the God who creates the New heavens and the new earth! Hope beyond this present age is essential to our faith. Without hope there is only despair. Hope gives meaning to suffering and faith. God delivers us from the corruption, suffering, and death of our present world. He is God in our times of suffering, and he is God in our seasons of blessings. The sovereignty of God compels us to worship him even in our suffering. Psalm 24 envisions a liturgical victory procession in which our divine warrior and champion enters the Temple. We are encouraged, “Lift up your heads, you gates, and be lifted us, you ancient doors, that the king of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!” (24:7-8). We are reminded of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem; his descent into hades to liberate all the faithful ones from the power of death, and his ascent into heaven whereby he brings all of the powers of this world into subjection. With all the hosts of earth and heaven we cry out, “Holy Holy Holy… you are worthy of all glory, honor and power, for you have redeemed people for God from every tribe, language, and nation! Jesus is the King of glory – our suffering savior, our good shepherd, and our victorious warrior who reigns from the right hand of the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
