Known for his book, Where Is God When It Hurts?, author Philip Yancey revisits this famed question of old. Similarly, in When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold Kushner tackles the same issue, but from a Rabbinical perspective. No matter what the point of view—Jewish, Christian, or other, the question and answer is still the same: When we hurt, God remains in the same place He’s always been—on His throne. God does not have to get His agenda accomplished the way we require it of Him—He is sovereign and we are not. For us to attempt to manipulate God into accomplishing His will the way that we demand is arrogant at best.
Arrogance may bring fleeting joy as self is exalted, but lasting peace comes from subjecting one’s self to the authority of another, a concept that seems hard-wired into our DNA.
Prison to Praise, and other “Praise” books by Merlin Carothers, mirrors that in David’s heart when he discusses how praising God for the reality we know to be beyond the feelings we presently feel, is the way to go. It’s like taking off in an airplane on a very cloudy day. Within moments you find yourself surrounded by sunny skies. Reality is that the sky was sunny all along, just not from what you were seeing.
In the midst of Psalm 22, and other psalms by David, you find some of the sunniest skies midst the cloudiest times--his greatest peace coming out of confessing relative nothingness—his failures and hurts. Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (KJV).
As rendered in the Greek language, “overcome” is better translated, “the world is overcome by Me”. The tribulation that all will experience to one degree or another in their life, is not to be compared to the eventual defeat of that tribulation at some future point.
David often promises to tell others of such godly deliverance—and does tell of it, which adds to the peace he already has. When you tell another about something, you reinforce it in your mind because of your having heard what you spoke (i.e. Psalm 50:15—“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”—KJV).
The psalmist glorifies God by finishing the song, celebrating that future time when God elects to visit earth, allowing the elect of His creation to rule and reign with Him—peace indeed.
b(Les)sings
Psalm 22
King James Version (KJV)
1My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 2O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.
29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
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