My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him. (Psalm 22:1-2,6-8 BSB)
Warrior;
Have you ever experienced this, “Dark Night of the Soul”? This lonely feeling, waking up with foreboding, going to bed at night just to ease the constant torture of the heart and mind from the worry within? The Dark Night of the Soul is a famous poem written by St. John of the Cross in his treatise Dark Night. It is a process that purifies one as they experience the darkness that feels like separation from The Creator of the Universe, the Provider of our Purpose, the Great I AM! In modern times, the phrase “dark night of the soul” is used to describe a crisis of faith or a difficult, painful period in one’s life. Are you currently living the CRY of the PSALMIST: “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.” (Psalm 13:1-4) If you are here- know this, YOU ARE IN GOOD COMPANY! You are where Jesus Is! “Oh Lord, give me your eyes so I can see what you see, help me to feel what you feel, and help me to desire what you desire.” In Jesus name- Amen!
Leader, we have been told to ask the question, “What would Jesus do”? We sing and pray, “Give me your eyes Lord”, we are told to put on the Heart, and the Mind of Christ- see Romans 13:14, Isaiah 40:13, 1 Corinthians 2:16. If we are to walk as Jesus walked, to Live as Jesus Lived, to Feel what Jesus Felt, to be about the FATHERS BUSINESS as Jesus was about the Fathers business- then we should know Jesus, thus we must know HIS WORD, since the Bible and Jesus are both considered, THE WORD OF GOD! It is written: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) Jesus is NOT known as the MAN OF FUN, nor the Partying Savior, nor the Enabler of Victims- HE IS KNOWN as the SON OF MAN, the SUFFERING SAVIOR. He Himself said about Himself, Jesus replied to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20) Hundreds of years before the incarnation of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied this about our Messiah; “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities”. (Isaiah 53:3-5a) Jesus LIVED\Fleshed out, the Dark Night of the Soul! It is poor theology to believe that if we are walking as Jesus, with Jesus, then our lives will be easy, fun and blessed by the things of this world. It is a lie from the pit of Hell.
Conduit, John Mac Arthur in his exposition on this Psalm states that the New Testament contains 15 Messianic quotations of or allusions to this Psalm. Some in the early church called Psalm 22 the 5thGospel because of this constant reference. Like life, this Psalm presents the reader with a GREAT CONTRAST in moods. The first 21 verses of this Psalm are of lamentation. Praise and Thanksgiving describe the last 10 verses. Consider that 2\3 of this psalm is hard, and 1\3 is praise and thanksgiving. There is a good portion to consider. Jesus knows our pain, He knows our confusion, He knows our struggle- He walked in our shoes. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out 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) We must remember when things look darkest – dawn is coming soon. Not long after Jesus experienced the DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL…the JOY CAME! Hear the Word of the Lord; And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son[i] of God!” (Matthew 27:51-54) We are commanded to Remember the right things: For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a life-time: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5) Notice in the Bible, another hidden purpose and meaning from Abba Daddy….Right after the Crying out of Psalm 22, comes Psalm 23! The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Be like Jesus- Amen!!
