Psalms 22:14-15 (ESV)
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;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Psalm 22 is a song of David’s. We are not sure when he wrote it, but it is a good guess that it was when he was in a cave, being pursued by King Saul. Saul was hunting David simple because Saul was jealous over David’s fame, that was greater in the kingdom then his own.
The above description of how he feels is shocking. It is in stark contrast to the song that follows this. Note what he writes in the famous next song:
Psalms 23:4-5 (ESV)
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
In one song his tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth because of the dryness. In the next, his tongue is full of fatness. This is the contrast of the Christian walk. There are days of famine and there are days of feast. We are to rejoice in both, but it is hard to see David’s rejoicing in Psalm 22 vs Psalm 23. Yet, he does get there. It does not come at first, but latter in the song he writes this:
Psalms 22:25-26 (ESV)
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
Our walk with God is like this. There are days our jaw is frozen in pain. There are days when we eat and are satisfied. We acknowledge them both. God does not expect us to deny the one and live only in the other. He wants to confess both before God to see His glory in each.
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