Starting something new this week.
Well, not really starting something, more like clearing things out. Like how things go in the morning.
Earlier I hopped out of bed, changed to house clothes (different from bed clothes), did my stretching routine, and then took some time to pray. For everything that comes to mind.
Went downstairs and found it pleasant that my cousin was still around to straighten things out in the house. Else I would have needed to tend to the cats.
Had a glass of water, then prepared coffee.
Went to the office, turned on the PC and went straight to Steam Youtube to start a 10-minute walking workout. I’m currently up 1700 steps.
And now, as scheduled, I’m here on Evernote, writing – I should be writing on today’s Psalm, so I’ll do that now.
…But not before saying that I thank God for this Life, for Light, and for Love. I thank God for every breath I take, every beat of my heart, every moment and second of life I have in this fallen, wretched reality to enjoy His righteousness – that is, His presence, and His life.
Indeed, in His presence there is fullness of joy, and indeed, in Christ is Life, and this Life is the light of men.
I thank God for the Holy Spirit, ministering in me, around and about. I know that He is working in and through all things, causing all to work for the good. My good.
Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit.
We’re walking into a familiar Psalm, a prophetic one which reminds us of the crucifixion of Jesus, so many generations later.
And, apparently it’s a pretty long composition.
Psalm 22
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOE OF THE DAWN. A PSALM OF DAVID.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
Christ at the cross – forgotten, ignored, rejected, unheard. Left with no rest, and no response. Blocked, ghosted.
Laid low, hated – scorned and despised, mocked, looked down upon with disdain. Ridiculed, goaded.
Alone, and worse – surrounded by ‘strong bulls of Bashan’, encompassed by dogs, encircled by ‘a company of evildoers’.
Weakened, dehydrated. Damaged from the inside out, bones ‘out of joint’ (but not broken, take note), heart failing.
Hands and feet, pierced. Body rendered immobile and arranged in such a way that the person is humiliated.
Clothes (which, I also point out, were His only possessions), gambled for. Absolute disregard for the owner, for the person.
With nothing, brought to nothing.
And, surely, whatever was going on with David brought him to write all of this, again, generations before One from His bloodline would experience all of this, literally, and even worse.
Definitely worse. I maintain that only Jesus could go through what He went through – not only taking sin but BECOMING sin, and therefore taking on ALL of its wages, draining the cup down to the dregs.
For this, I say, thank You, Jesus. Thank You for doing what only You can do, that we would be saved by You.
19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
For because of what the Lord has done for us, we are in a state and of a mind that seeks Him and praises Him, even when we find ourselves in dire straits, when we find ourselves in sudden and great pain, or in prolonged agony.
As David wrote, though it seems we have no more reason to trust in the Lord, we cry out to Him still, believing and knowing that He will rescue us, deliver us, and save us.
Not only do we trust in the Lord, but we also continue to praising Him, and encouraging those around us to praise Him. I remember Timothy Keller’s recalling of the plight of the Maccabees – and that, while they were apparently being tormented and tortured in public, they still cried out to those who were watching, to continue believing in God, and to keep trusting Him. I’d like to think that they were saying the same lines that David wrote – that we praise and glorify Him, knowing that He remains and will always be faithful – not despising our affliction, hearing us when we cry.
Through Christ, who sits on the right hand of the Father, and is forever glorified, we are able to continue trusting in Him, and praising Him, for He is good now, and He will continue to be good.
This last Sunday of February 2026, may we continue to cry out to Him, running to His throne of grace, knowing that our Father is willing and able to help us in our times of need.
Just finished 10 minutes of shadow boxing this time. Hopping into the Proverbs.
1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the Maker of them all.Proverbs 22:1-2
What value is there in gold and silver, when we have no favor? It will all be taken away from us.
On the other hand, with having a good name comes value that surpasses great riches.
And, praise God, for the Maker of the rich and poor bestows us with His favor. He lifts His countenance upon us. He makes His face shine upon us.
There is no greater favor than that which comes from the Most High.
4 The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.Proverbs 22:4
The ESV clarifies that this also can be translated as ‘The reward for humility is the fear of the LORD, riches and honor and life‘; I would say that, actually, as it is the fear of the LORD that is the beginning of wisdom, humility can also be counted among riches and honor and life, as the reward for the fear of the LORD. We would do well to trust Him, to praise Him, and recognize His glory and grace, His greatness and goodness, in all.
And more than silver and gold, more than riches and honor – we have goodness and mercy following us all the days of our life.
8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.Proverbs 22:8
And this is why I believe it was counted as one of Jesus’ final words at the cross: ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do‘
To those who would come against us, and assault our families; To those who would follow the temptations of the enemy, and attempt (and probably even succeed) in stealing from us, killing us, and destroying us:
Mercy upon you, blessings upon you – for in due time you shall reap calamity for all you have sown. In season, we shall bear fruit, but the rod of your fury shall fail.
11 He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
29 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.Proverbs 22:11, 29
In all that is going on, while we are in this existence; Let us seek to live out the new, purified, obedient heart that Christ died and rose again for us to have – that out of the overflow of our hearts saved by grace, our mouth speaks with grace; that even the work of our hands would be skillful, and seen as such. May the favor we have under the Most High be perceived, and may we stand before kings, having them as our friends.
17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.
19 That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even to you. Proverbs 22:17-19
And in all this, may our focus continue to be on the Word, that we may testify to the Gospel of the grace of God, to the ends of the earth.
For the unity of the body of Christ, for the expansion of His kingdom, to the full glory of His name, forever and ever. Amen.
I pray and declare that we shall all have a productive week ahead. May we continue to trust in the Lord and in His Word, as we are moved and pruned, to bear even more fruit.
In the name of Jesus, amen. Amen.
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