Sermon Tone Analysis

It feels like he left me, but he is still with me!

Psalms 22:1

This Psalm is not as famous as the first verse of this Psalm is and has become.

Most of us in here are relatively familiar with the words of this 22nd Psalm.

Many of us, in fact, perhaps thought that these words read in your hearing were words that flowed from the lips of Jesus as an original/novel statement.

But today you will discover that this was not an original statement from the cross of Calvary but that Jesus was speaking the word from a song in the 22nd Psalm from on the cross that he had learned as a child in Judaic culture and tradition.

It is not a song of Christ but, in fact, it is a Psalm of David.

It comes from a time when David is feeling abandoned/deserted/isolated/desolate—feeling alone.

He felt that God had left him all by himself.

• It is the feeling for David, in particular, of abandonment by a God Who got you in the mess you’re in.

• In particular—a Psalm and a cry to a God—not only because you feel alone—but it’s a cry to a God who got you in the mess that makes you feel like you are by yourself.

Can I ask you a question today?: Have you ever followed God into somewhere or something—and when you got into that somewhere or something the mess was so bad you said, “Now God you got me IN this mess—so now if you got me in this mess—why do I feel like I’m all of a sudden all by myself?”

To really get the understanding of this passage you must take it out of it’s Christological context and see Jesus in the light of the Psalm and not the Psalm in light of Jesus.

Because in the New Testament whenever one quoted the Old Testament was because of what the author meant in the Old Testament when they wrote it.

And so in order to really understand this Psalm you really can’t talk about what Jesus was going through; you’ve got to understand what David is going through.

It is a cry for help

It is a cry for deliverance out of something that you never would have been in if you weren’t following God.

Isn’t it amazing that sometimes it appears that when you are following God it can often appear that you are in more of a mess than you were before you decided to follow God’s will, God’s purpose and God’s plan?

Isn’t it amazing that sometimes you follow God and then wonder why in the world you followed God because what you ended up in was not what you thought that you are going towards?

Isn’t it amazing that every now and then you can feel like you are all by yourself.

Now you must understand initially—that when he says “Why hast thou forsaken me”…he is not talking about the ABSENCE of the presence of God.

And we know he’s not talking about that because he’s talking to God.

We know he’s not talking about God not being there—he’s talking about the activity of God.

When he says “God, you’re forsaking me”…the spirit of the text suggests that he is confessing “God you are ignoring me”.

It’s not that you’re not here—but God you are ignoring me.

And the reason that I feel that you are ignoring me is because I don’t see anything on the outward exterior happening on my behalf.

Herein is the war between the flesh and the spirit.

(Between what the spirit knows and what your flesh has to feel and see).

• David has equated activity with acknowledgement and acceptance…

In other words, David has equated God acknowledging his prayer and accepting his request with the activity that follows.

So that for David—if God doesn’t do anything…God is not UP to anything.

Here’s the Cowan translation: God, I’ve been praying and fasting about this mess you got me in—and you’re not responding!!!

Have you ever prayed and nothing appeared to be happening?

Have you ever prayed and nothing appeared to be changing?

It is what I call the tyranny of the theology of activity.

Because when you talk about the flesh vs. the spirit.

The spirit goes on the basis of what I know/the flesh is driven on the basis of what I feel.

And often we think that we are blessed by what God does for us.

And so when God doesn’t do for you what you ask God to do for you then you don’t think that you’re blessed and that God is ignoring you.

And I know I’m messing with somebody here, because all of us are human—and sometimes we thinking that God blessing us and doing for us is how we know God is WITH us.

And then we start equating God with us with the STUFF that we have.

• Prayer is not about getting what you want from God—Prayer is about what God wants from us.

Because God is God—God doesn’t need anything from us.

Read Psalm 50—that’s a good and insightful passage—He says, “Even if I got hungry I wouldn’t tell you”.

Nothing you can do for me; the cattle on a thousand hill belongs to me.

God does not need anything from us…

Because He is self-existent—He really doesn’t need our faith

Because He is holy—He doesn’t need our moral support

Because He’s sovereign—He doesn’t need our permission

Because He owns all things—He doesn’t need our money

Because He is everywhere at the same time—He doesn’t need our company

Because He is all knowing—He doesn’t need our advice

Because He is all powerful—He does not need our hope

God does not need anything from us—but there is something that He wants from us.

And though there is something that we want from Him—what He wants from us is more important than what we want from Him.

Because prayer is not about stuff; it is about relationship and connection with a God who wants my allegiance/affection/attention/appreciation.

2 Chron.

7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

He wants a relationship

Jeremiah 29:11-12

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

But that not the end look at vs. [12] Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

He wants a relationship…

Psalm 91 proclaims “Call upon me…and I will answer”

And it is not only what God gives you that blesses you—but the first determining factor when it comes to the outcome and the intent of your prayer—is that you are in relationship with Him.

Just the fact that you can say “My God…My Savior”…is enough to say that I am absolutely, positively, wonderfully blessed!!!

You can not equate activity with blessings!!!

For David here says here ‘my God…my God’.

He uses the word here, Elohim.

The word here for Deliverer.

He says, “God…you are not living up to the nature of your name.

If you are a deliverer…then why am I still in this?”

And I’m already talking to somebody who is here today because you have been calling Jehovah Jireh and you still have to pay your bills/

You’ve been calling on Jehovah Rophe and you’re still sick/

you’ve been calling on Jehovah Shaloam and you still can’t sleep at night.

How many of you can honestly admit that sometimes you don’t understand what God is up to—because there are times that it looks like that God is not living in accordance to Who He said that He is!!!

God if you’re a deliverer, why am I still struggling with this

God if you’re a provider, why can’t I make ends meet

God if you’re my peace, then why do I need a drink and a blunt to go to bed at night

God if you’re my shepherd, then why do I need a stroke from another man or another woman every now and then during my moments of weakness….

God what is going on?

It’s dangerous when you feel forsaken…because you don’t lose the need for something or somebody.

So that when you feel forsaken, you’re still looking.

And that’s when the flesh drops options.

• Sometimes the reason marriages get in trouble is because when you feel IGNORED, you don’t lose the need for the attention.

So the Devil starts dropping options.

It’s dangerous when you don’t straighten out that ignoring thing/when you don’t fix it because if you are not careful then the flesh and the Devil will begin to drop other options…

Because you still have the need, but your flesh will begin to tell you that God can’t meet the need and you’re start turning to other things and other people because you still have the need!!!

So preacher, help me.

When I feel all alone and I feel like God is ignoring me and I’m trying to get to know Him more.

And I feel like it’s not happening.

How do I keep my sanity and falling into the trap of the options that my flesh would give to me?

Here’s the first thing…

I. THE FIRST THING YOU’VE GOT TO DO IS REHEARSE GOD’S CHARACTER AND NOT YOUR CONTEXT

Watch the text: my God, my God…

Why have you forsaken me

Why are you so far from my deliverance

My God…I call by day but you don’t answer..

At night…I can’t get no rest….

Verse 3….BUT!!!