oh psalm of my LORD

As we wander into these, the Psalms...
we often read of the author, David,
his poetic words telling the tale of his woes
that lead to praise of our God who delivers.

But this Psalm speaks of something deeper,
something prophetic,
something simply transcending.

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.
Psalm 22:1-2 NKJV

Maybe it's that first verse,
so familiar, so hard to forget.
The words spoken by our Savior
while hanging upon the cross?
(Matthew 27:46)

And while these tormented verses
could be the cries of many a soul seeking...
longing for comfort from our God.
It is the ever present capital pronouns
that keep my attention circling...
and circling,
and circling.

But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
“He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
Psalm 22:3-8

For in the bible proper...
the names of God are capitalized,
and these above, I did not change;
although I simply bolded.

For this is my Jesus,
my Savior,
my Lord.
These are the cries of His heart
prophetically written through David
long before His day of suffering upon the cross.

How could David have known...
this complete life of rejection,
of abandon,
of denial?

Could it be that David suffered much
in his own life... the persecutions of Saul,
the temptations of man,
the battles of disloyal men,
in order to draw him nearer to God
that he would stand so close as to hear
this messianic Psalm whispered to his soul.

For as we read it through,
we watch the course of our Savior's sufferings.
Stepping downward from heaven,
born flesh, as a man
like we might become a worm...
a symbol of insignificance.

His friends deserted Him,
His life traded away for silver coin.
All so the wicked, lofty and righteous ones
could find a neat end
to their constant conspiring.

And now we must watch as He is crucified..
Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
They gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
Psalm 22:12-15

Oh my Lord,
the sorrows and pain You suffered...
for the selfish and sinful way I choose.
and if that is not enough pain...
they heaped upon You more.

For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.

But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the power of the dog.
Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild oxen!

You have answered Me.
Psalm 22:16-21

Clearly in this moment,
Jesus declares His prayers answered.
Though the Father God had heard Him all along
He is comforted,
at peace,
all suffering subsided...
it was finished!
(John 19:30)

And this my happy ending...
my victory and praise.
For the Lord Jesus will be remembered.
He will be forever King.

No matter what you believe today,
one day, this clearly and prophetically speaks
all will bow down
and declare!

All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
They will come and declare
His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.
Psalm 22:27-31

Jesus is Lord!
Crucified for our sins.
Risen from the dead.
Seated at the right hand of God
in the heavens above.

All who plead of their sin
will be faithfully forgiven.
(1 John 1:9)

All who confess with their mouth
that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in their heart
that He was raised from the dead
will be saved.
(Romans 10:9)

Word of God,
train me, today...
to never neglect the reflecting... the depth of what You have given me,
to tell another about the incredible power of this prophetic and beautiful psalm.