I love a good story, whether it's told in a book, a movie, or a television show. The best stories move us, making us reflect on our own lives and challenge us to make the most of the one life God has given us. The most moving stories are true accounts of real people living real lives. Did you know that each one of us has a story, and we are currently living those stories every single day? Specifically, we have a history of God’s goodness to us throughout all of the difficulties and struggles that come from living in this world riddled with sin, and our calling is to remember and tell our stories. By focusing on our stories and sharing them, we are reminding our own hearts and those around us that God has not abandoned us and that He is at work in the world today.
All week, we have been looking at David’s words to God in Psalm 22. These words spoken to God were honest, raw, and genuine. As David wrote out this prayer to God, he expressed his sorrow and feelings of abandonment. He did not focus solely on these emotions and sorrows, however. Throughout the Psalm, He remembered the Lord. Isn’t that what we all need in our moments of anguish and despair, or when anxieties and fears creep in? In these moments, we need to remember the Lord and all He has done for us. I believe that focusing on the Lord led Him to an attitude shift that is evident toward the end of this Psalm. As he ended his Psalm, He committed to praising God and telling others about God and all He has done. David wrote, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people” (verse 22). Amidst his questions, fears, and heartaches, David committed to praising God for who He is and all He has done. Then, in the final verses of this Psalm, He committed to sharing all that God has done with those around him, continuing to share the story of God’s faithfulness with everyone. He wrote, “Our children will also serve Him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything He has done” (verses 30-31). David declared that he and the rest of the Israelites would tell the story of God’s faithfulness to future generations, and nothing God had done for His people would be left out.
Like David and the Israelites, our calling is to tell everyone around us all about God’s faithfulness. There is a reason why sharing about His faithfulness is vital: we human beings are prone to forget. When we forget about God’s faithfulness and all He has done, fear and worry set in. We begin to doubt God’s goodness. We forget that He takes care of His people. If we, on the other hand, commit to sharing all about God’s faithfulness to everyone around us, our faith will remain strong, and we can trust Him even in the most difficult storms. He has been faithful to you, my friend. Will you commit to sharing the story of His faithfulness to everyone around you?
Your calling today is to share your story of God’s faithfulness to you with someone else. How has God been faithful to you this week? Share it with one person today. As you do, you will not only find yourself encouraged, but you will also encourage that person whom you share your story of God’s faithfulness to you as well.
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted in you,
and you rescued them.
5 They cried out to you and were saved.
They trusted in you and were never disgraced.
6 But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him!”
9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born.
11 Do not stay so far from me,
for trouble is near,
and no one else can help me.
12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
13 Like lions they open their jaws against me,
roaring and tearing into their prey.
14 My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
melting within me.
15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18 They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing.
19 O Lord, do not stay far away!
You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
20 Save me from the sword;
spare my precious life from these dogs.
21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
and from the horns of these wild oxen.
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help.
25 I will praise you in the great assembly.
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied.
All who seek the Lord will praise him.
Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
28 For royal power belongs to the Lord.
He rules all the nations.
29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
Bow before him, all who are mortal,
all whose lives will end as dust.
30 Our children will also serve him.
Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
They will hear about everything he has done.
