Psalm 22:25-31 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 22:25-31 on biblegateway.com
Verse 25From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
Verse 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!
Verse 27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
Verse 28For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
Verse 29To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
Verse 30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
Verse 31and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Devotion
Many of us heard these words from Jesus on the cross on Good Friday, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" The psalm is filled with the words of pain from persecution and the joy of knowing God’s saving acts throughout history.
This psalm gives us permission and even the words to cry when we experience persecution, desolation and anguish. This psalm also becomes our words of thanksgiving and praise when we see God rescuing us from that which could destroy. It reminds me of Simon and Garfunkel's song, "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night." Our lives are filled with moments when all looks dark and dangerous. They are also filled with times when life seems good and God is holding our hand. So it is not surprising that in one day you can hear a cry of help and a cry of thanks coming from our mouths.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for hearing our cries of pain and for the moments when your saving presence becomes so real to us that we shout out loud our thanks. Amen.