READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l The first two verses of Psalm 22 seem to be full of complaint and therefore unworthy to be used in a ‘Call to Worship’. However, prayer should be an honest and truthful expression to God even when we are at the lowest point in our lives. Even as we have honest exchanges with a friend, so we can bring our complaints, anger, despair, doubt and fear to the Lord. This psalm reveals to us that it’s all right to come to God even when things are not making sense. It’s all right to have honest questions! We should not think that a good Christian never has doubts, fears or questions. David, the writer of this psalm, was undoubtably a man of deep faith; yet, he was not afraid to persistently bring his questions before the Lord showing that he truly believed that God was there and listening!
We too may be in the middle of a crisis and find our faith is tested. God has provided a means of Grace through Holy Communion that will allow us to draw near. God is not far away even when we feel godforsaken. It is a fallacy that we will experience miracles, victory and joy all the time. We do have occasions when we feel more like a worm than a human. Even Jesus cried out to God from the cross with the same words from Ps 22:1. He was the most perfect human who ever lived, completely fulfilling God’s purpose and yet he felt forsaken. But God was not far away! We too may have times like this where we have not stepped out of God’s will but trouble surrounds us, and at that moment we feel abandoned. In Hebrews 13:3-5 we are reminded of the ancient promise: “He will never leave us or forsake us”. As we celebrate Holy Communion we remember that Jesus has given us His body and His blood and we cling on to this means of grace.
Another misconception is that God must be angry if prayer is unanswered. He does answer, but not always in the way we would want. God is for us and not against us and He proved this by sending His son Jesus to die for us. The cross reminds us that God has given His best for us. He is not an angry God. We reach out to God through the sacrament of Holy Communion to acknowledge that we have a loving Father.
Psalm 22 teaches us that it is not wrong to have questions; we need to bring them to God. It is not true that God is far from us – we are comforted by His abiding presence. It is a fallacy that God is angry when we do not seem to hear from Him – the Cross is our assurance of His love.
(Sermon notes by Frances Lim)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What situation in life did you closely identify with the Psalmist and cried, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me”?
- What are the ways to remind a Christian of God’s abiding presence in life?
- How does the assurance of God’s presence and forgiveness overcome the many unanswered prayers and broken dreams in your life?
