Have you ever found yourself in a situation that is beyond your human ability to get yourself out of? Have you ever felt like you were surrounded on every side by enemies within and enemies without? Well, you are not alone, King David felt the exact same way, while his was physical imminent danger, for you it may be physical or maybe it’s financial, emotional or even spiritual. Nonetheless, many people have and do feel trapped in a situation that they do not know how to get themselves out of. The challenge is many people, tend to seek their own solutions to these problems. Some turn to alcohol, sex, drugs (pharmaceutical or recreational), anger, food, or some other pain reliever. But they soon find out, it may relieve the pain temporarily, but it does not deliver them from the situation they find themselves in.
In Psalm 22, King David found himself in a situation and he said in verses one and two, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest” (NIV). One of the greatest treasures I have discovered this year is how we are not the first person to go through something. The Lord has invited me to pray a Psalm a day and as I prayed through this Psalm, I recognized, King David experienced the same feelings, thoughts, issues, that many are facing right now and he like so many of us, was not afraid to share his struggle with God in prayer and on paper, so we can hear we are not alone.
The Lord has shown me, that we are an afflicted generation, but that He is going to turn our mourning into dancing. We are not going to stay afflicted, we are going to be delivered. But like King David, it is not enough to just identify a problem, that is the obvious part, but what is usually hidden from our sight is the solution to the problem. Some people never ask for help, others try to figure it out themselves, still others seek answers from counselors, pastors, friends, books, etc. but thanks be to God through David, the answer is right here in Psalm 22. King David did not just share his struggle, he shared the solution he discovered in remembering history.
Psalm 22:3-6 gives us the solution, “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame” (NIV). David looked back on the history of his forefathers, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Gideon, Joshua, Moses, Deborah, Jael, Sarah and he discovered the access key to deliverance is trust. He said, they were delivered because they trusted in the Lord. No wonder Solomon said in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Trusting God is the access key to deliverance.
Trust, however, is a big word, to trust means you have to know the character, the voice and the nature of the one you are trusting. Trust means, you do what He says, when you hear, what He wants you to do. Trust is a verb, it is not something you only say with your mouth it is something you do when He gives you instructions. I remember when I was $25,000 in debt with no house, no spouse, no nothing to show for it and God showed me how to be delivered. He said, give me 15% of your income. I was trying to get out of debt, so why give more money, is that not counter-productive? Yes in many logical ways it is, but I trusted the Lord and I was out of debt in 2 years. Trust is an action word and trust is the access key to deliverance.
Lisa Great 