Cling

As we enter Holy Week and turn our attention toward the work that Jesus accomplished at the cross, it seemed fitting to read Psalm 22, perhaps the most well-known of all the Messianic psalms.  The psalm begins with the words uttered by the Lord in his final moments on the cross.  These words were the cry of His heart, filled with the extreme physical and emotional pain He felt at the separation from His Father as He bore the sins of the world. 

David penned these words prior to the invention of crucifixion by the Romans.  While he was most likely unaware of their prophetic nature, it is clear that he was experiencing an extreme trial of his own.  In the first two verses, we read of his anguish at feeling forsaken by the Lord.  He cries out for Him day and night yet receives no answer, and feels helplessness and despair in his circumstances.

It was the word “yet” at the beginning of verse three that caught my attention.  In spite of the painful swirl of emotions, David remembered that God is holy and enthroned upon the praises of His people. He remembered that those loved ones who had gone before him in life had trusted in the Lord, and He faithfully delivered them from their troubles. 

Matthew Henry says in his commentary on this psalm,

“When we are lamenting God’s withdrawings, yet still we must call Him our God, and continue to call upon Him as ours.  When we want the faith of assurance we must live by the faith of adherence.” However it be, yet God is good, and He is mine; ‘though He slay me, yet I trust in Him; though He does not answer me immediately, I will continue praying and waiting; though He be silent, I will not be silent.’”

Embedded in this quote are the words of Job, a man who suffered unimaginable pain and loss over the course of his life.  Jacob wrestled with God.  Genesis 32:24-26 says, “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.  And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.  Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  This wrestling match happened over the course of an entire night, and Jacob continued to wrestle with a dislocated hip!  Even while in pain, he fought for understanding and clung on for a blessing.

 As I read this psalm and pondered what it means to have a faith of adherence, I got a mental image of a box of saran wrap in my mind.  It is in those dark times of trial when we feel abandoned and helpless that we run to the Lord for assurance.  We cry out, “Are you really there?  Do you see me in this mess?  Is this going to turn out okay?”  While there may not be much we can do to alter the present circumstances, we can follow David’s example.

• Remember and praise Him for His attributes. 

• Remember and praise Him for His past acts of faithfulness. 

• Remember and praise Him for His promises. 

The way to have assurance in the midst of a trial is to cling to Him.

 “You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”  (Deut. 13:4)

“I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me.” (Proverbs 8:17)

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8a)

I don’t think I’ll ever look at a box of cling wrap the same way again.