January 26, 2018 – Psalm 22:1-2

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Psalm 22:1-2.

Sometimes we feel alone, with no one to depend on.  We are abandoned, we look to heaven, and the distance seems far away.  We feel helpless and drowning in despair. 

It is when we are desperate for God, our last resort, that we turn to him.  Why? The ‘highs and lows’ of our heart happen .  When we consistently turn to God first, our longing for peace is satisfied.  When troubling situations arise and we turn to God, we remember James 1:2-4. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

A runner jumps hurdles, a pianist must practice, and so we jump the hurdles of temptation of sin. We have opportunities to grow faith, trust, and obedience.  What is God saying? God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:20-21.  When our treasures are the ‘seen things’ of earth, we have not learned to delight in the Lord.  

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved.  They trusted in you and were never disgraced. Psalm 22:3-5