Psalm 22 tackles the question of the mystery of suffering as the psalmist cries out, ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ (Ps 22:1) Constant crying out initially seems to produce no answer (Ps 22:2); the psalm tackles that sense of abandonment and alienation which seems to be part of the spiritual journey.

Suffering – and where God is in our suffering – is a stumbling-block to many (‘if God is so loving, why…?’ is a common question), and it can be extremely painful to be in that place of deep loneliness and heartache. Keeping a right perspective as we wrestle with God in these times is not easy, but ‘what’s true in the light is still true in the dark’ (‘Weep With Me’, Rend Collective) and Ps 22 gives us strategies to survive in these dark times.

The first thing we have to do is hold on to who God is (‘Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.’ Ps 22:3) The psalmist continues to talk with God, even when he feels abandoned. We are free to ask God the difficult questions (see also Job 13:24, Ps 10:1), even the ‘why’ questions. We may not get the answers we want or can understand, but we must not withdraw from God in the hard times, even if we feel He has withdrawn from us. (Is 45:15)

Secondly, we have to have a good memory! (Ps 22:4-5) We have to remember all God has done in the past (for us and for others) and because God is unchanging (Mal 3:6), we can be confident that He will continue to act in righteous, loving ways. One of the chief ploys of the enemy is to cast doubt on who God is, and in periods of darkness, his insidious lies can seem incredibly plausible. We need to be so soaked in Scripture that we can refute these lies with the truth: ‘it is also written…’  This is one of the benefits of the psalms as songs. Sing the truth about God at every opportunity (whether you feel like it or not, whether it seems true or not!) There is much value in conjunctions, those little words which link sentences and can turn situations around (‘yet’, ‘but’, ‘because’ and so on!) The Bible is full of these. Ps 22 may start in despair and abandonment, but it does not end there (the second half from verse 22 is full of confidence because God ‘has done it!’ Ps 22:32)

Thirdly, we have to understand the Biblical principle that suffering precedes glory. Jesus had to go through the Crucifixion before the Resurrection (see John 12:24-26, Heb 12:2-3, Heb 5:7-10). We cannot expect to know the power of the resurrection if we are not prepared to share in Christ’s suffering. (Phil 3:10-11) We need to have an eternal perspective which sees this world’s troubles as ‘light and momentary’ in the light of eternity (2 Cor 4:17-18), secure in the fact that God is working all things together for good (Rom 8:28), even if we currently do not see that. Waiting for God is never easy. But it is surely worth it!

The Messianic psalms, written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, foretell many aspects of His birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection with startling clarity. As with most prophecy, there may well be different layers of meaning (some applicable to the writer, some applicable only to Christ), but these psalms helped to arouse expectation and keep hope alive for the Jewish people for centuries and serve to affirm to us nowadays the foreknowledge and omniscience of God, not to mention His providential love, grace, mercy and power.

Several psalms affirm that the Messiah would come from the line of David (see Ps 89:3-4, 19-37; Ps 110; Ps 132:11-12), echoing Nathan’s prophecy to the king (see 2 Sam 7:11-16). Matthew 1:1 affirms that this prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, which is significant in ascribing to Christ the Messianic role which the title ‘son of David’ had come to signify as well as affirming His humanity (see also Rom 1:3).

The close relationship between the Messiah and God the Father is also affirmed in the Psalms (see Ps 22:9-10), a relationship which goes beyond time (see Jesus’s words of affirmation ‘You loved me from before the creation of the world’, in John 17:24).

Perhaps one of the most startling prophetic psalms is Ps 22, quoted by Jesus as He hung on the cross (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34). This psalm gives us probably the most graphic picture of the crucifixion in the whole Bible, all the more remarkable when we realise that this form of execution was not known to the writer at the time. From the scorn and humiliation of public execution (see Ps 22:6-8 and Matt 27:39, Luke 23:35) to the agony of dehydration (Ps 22:15, Jn 29:28) and pain (Ps 22:14), not to mention the despair of the weight of sin which left Christ separated from the Father (see 2 Cor 5:21), the psalm uses poetic imagery (describing enemies as bulls and roaring lions, for example) to take us deep into the mystery of the sacrificial death of the Messiah. The psalm is in two distinct halves, and the triumphant conclusion of Ps 22 (‘He has done it!’) is echoed in Jesus’s last words (‘It is finished!’ Jn 19:30) We can be profoundly glad of all that Christ suffered to deliver us from the penalty of sin.

In the 1960s, the pop group ‘the Batchelors’ had more top ten hits than the Beatles, one of which was the song ‘I Believe’. The lyrics of that song show how people can believe all kinds of different things; in the Karni Mata temple in Rajasthan, India, more than 25,000 black rats are venerated as gods and people believe that to eat food touched by the rats will result in spiritual blessing. Belief can be very subjective; some people feel that they can believe anything they want whilst others adopt a syncretic approach (amalgamating different beliefs from different religions into a very personal belief which can be confusing to others.)

As Christians, we need to be careful about what we believe and why we believe. If a belief is true and real, it will have an effect on our behaviour and lives. Rom 12:1 reminds us that belief in a God who gave Himself for us is reasonable (‘logikos’), but few people are actually won over to Christ through reason alone. 2 Pet 1:16 reminds us of the personal nature of belief: Peter describes himself as an eyewitness of God’s majesty, and it is true that God wants us to witness to others through the power of our story, as with the demoniac who was delivered by Jesus and told to return home to tell others how much God had done for him (see Luke 8:23-39). We are called to be witnesses to all that God has done for us (Acts 1:8); we need to practise telling our story and explaining our beliefs.

Belief will inevitably spill over into actions (see James 2:14-18). If it does not, then it is not genuine faith. We see how belief has the power to transform individuals, communities and the whole world; there is much historical evidence to point to the transforming power of the gospel. Not all beliefs are equal, for true faith must rest on truth (Jn 14:6 reminds us that Jesus is the only way to God, for example), and whilst there is power in all faith, the real power comes when faith is based on truth, because then it is allied to the power of God. (1 Cor 2:5)

The proverb says ‘you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs’, and Mark spoke this morning on how God sometimes has to break us in order to re-shape us and make us useful and relevant to His purposes. In Jer 18:1-6, the prophet is sent to the potter to see how he fashions and re-forms that which is marred. We are like clay in God’s hands, made from the dust of the earth, and we need to be pliable in His hands.

God sent Jeremiah to watch the potter at work; often He does not speak to us simply through an audible voice, but through the many life experiences we witness. Jeremiah went in obedience and then heard further revelations from God. Obedience will always lead us to the place where God can speak to us and we can be transformed.

A skilled potter may make mistakes, but uses every opportunity for re-making; nothing is wasted. God can make, crush or re-make any nation and used this illustration to show Israel how they needed to be made fit for purpose again, having wandered from His truth. One of the chief things we need to remember is that it may not be pleasant to be crushed or re-shaped, but so often a fresh start is needed because we think we know best and have allowed our lives to follow our own plans rather than listening for God’s. Sometimes, we feel that our hopes and dreams have been crushed by God (as Joseph did), but this is only because He is wanting to shape us into something which is beautiful and relevant.

2 Cor 4:7-9 talks of us having God’s power living within ‘jars of clay’. The excellence of His power can live in us, allowing us to reach out to people in His strength, Re-shaping might be necessary to help us to reach our generation in ways that are different from what was previously required; we have to be flexible and malleable in God’s hands. As we are filled with God’s power, circumstances and difficulties will not crush and destroy us. Instead, we will be re-shaped to make something beautiful (see Eccl 3:11), relevant and useful in God’s kingdom.

Psalms 42 and 43 are closely linked and deals with the question ‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?’ (Ps 42:5,11, Ps 43:5) Often, this is our experience: feelings of disquiet and disturbance, a lack of peace, a restlessness or anxiety which we cannot quite understand. We may be able to describe the feelings, but we cannot necessarily identify the source of these feelings. When circumstances are adverse, it’s easy to understand a sense of turmoil, but so often, we experience these feelings even when there is nothing external to trigger them.

Sensibly, the psalmist brings these questions to God. He doesn’t try to pretend that all is well: ‘my soul is downcast with me’ (a statement of fact), but he deals with this in a spiritual way: ‘therefore I will remember You.’ (Ps 42:6) So often, we try to cover over our feelings with a plastic smile and a mask of pretence, but this simply buries the feelings deeper within. Repression is never a long-term satisfactory solution. More profitable is to change the focus of our gaze, bringing those questions directly to God and focussing on who He is. We may be downcast, but as Alec Motyer reminds us, we serve an upbeat God! God is our stronghold (Ps 43:2); He is the One whose light and faithful care lead us. (Ps 43:3) As Casting Crowns sing, ‘there’s a place where fear has to face the God You know’. (‘Oh My Soul’, Casting Crowns) God’s light and love will be enough for even the most Eeyore-like among us. A downcast soul is no match for an upbeat God!

Dave spoke tonight from Romans 8:28-39, some of the most encouraging verses in the whole BIble. We live in a dangerous world (where terrorism, climate change, politics and numerous other threats cast a shadow over our daily lives), but for those who are older, there is remembrance that this has always been the case (the challenges may have changed, but the winter of 1947 was dramatically cold; the Cuban missile crisis and Cold War following the 2nd World War and other political instability all indicate that life always has its ups and downs!) We tend to like our security blankets of routine, family, friends, health and money, just as Linus was never to be found without his blanket!

It doesn’t take long for us to realise, however, that bad things happen in this life, and we find it difficult to beleive that God really can work for the good in everything that happens to us. If we are realistic, we know that death, divorce, sickness, financial loss and abuse can easily rock our world and leave us feeling insecure and afraid. Yet Paul, in writing these words, also knew trouble and difficulties (see 2 Cor 11) and was not naive about these difficulties. He could write about the good God was ultimately working in every situation because he lived by faith and not by sight. We need to understand that life is rather like a tapestry: we don’t see the finished side yet, but are looking at it from the back, with all the confusing knots and apparent chaos.

Our part is not to sit back passively and adopt a fatalistic attitude that what happens will always be the right thing. We are called to fight injustice and to be the answer to so many of the world’s problems as we allow God to touch our hearts and move us to action. We can only do this confidently, however, if we understand that our lives are in God’s hands and His hands are working all things out for good. No matter what happens to us in 2018, we can be sure that God is there, right in the midst of it, working for good, and if our long-term confidence is that nothing can separate us from His love, then we will move forward with hope and confidence.