PODCAST
The Persistence of Mercy
May 17th, 2016
Psalm 22:1-11
It is difficult on this side of the cross to read Psalm 22 and not think of Jesus’ suffering. Yet, the psalm itself was set against the background of David’s experience of being under a sentence of death and ruthlessly pursued by King Saul, who was half mad with jealous fear. Suffering can become like an impenetrable shroud, blocking even the vision of God’s presence. It is no wonder both David and Jesus joined in the cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1; Mark 15:34).
Nevertheless, even when spiritual vision is blind to God’s loving presence, memory remains: “In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them” (Psalm 22:4). David could not forget the stories he had learned in Jesse’s tent–stories about Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Barak, and Gideon. God had proven faithful, even in the darkest of hours, and He would again.
Christ in greatest agony could recall God’s constant faithfulness and, in the end, exclaim, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Author: Duane Brush
