Christian Reflection and Prayer

TEXT: But You, O Lord, do not be far off! O You my help,
come quickly to my aid (Psalm 22:19).

Now Jesus' prayer turns from His enemies to God. He
pleads with His Father not to continue forsaking Him, but
to come quickly to His aid. Notice the way Jesus calls
the Lord "My Help" and pleads with Him not to stand far
off with His back turned, but to rush quickly to Him,
coming close and giving Him help and aid.

Sometimes when we go through difficult struggles in our
lives it seems God is standing off at a distance, not
noticing or not concerned with our plight. Jesus gives us
a tremendous example in His passionate plea, calling on
God to come quickly, providing aid and whatever help is
needed. But there is a great difference between our
sufferings and those of Jesus. He became sin for us, and
was therefore forsaken by God. But since He has removed
our sins we will never be forsaken.

Psalm 46:1 reminds us, "God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble." After His resurrection Jesus
promised, "Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the
age" (see Matthew 28:20).

Because Jesus took our sin on Himself and bore the curse
and fierce punishment of God in our place, we never need
fear that God will forsake us or stand far off while we suffer.
He is right here to comfort us, sustain us, strengthen us,
and deliver us.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for removing my sin and guilt,
so I may confidently call on You for help in all times. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read John 19:23-24.

TEXT: They divide my garments among them, and
for my clothing they cast lots (Psalm 22:18).

Now David takes us to the moment when Jesus was
stripped naked and hung on the cross. It is a small detail
that takes on prophetic proportions when the Roman
soldiers use two different methods to divide His clothes
among them.

Four soldiers were assigned to guard each crucified
criminal. They divided between themselves the condemned
man's earthly possessions at the time of his crucifixion. In
Jesus' case it simply involved His clothing and His
seamless tunic. The clothing was easily divided into four
piles, but the tunic was a different matter. They could have
ripped it into four equal pieces of cloth, but all agreed it was
more valuable left in one piece. It would be better to cast
lots to see who would get the whole tunic rather than lose
its value by ripping it into four parts.

When you look at the specific details predicted in this psalm
it is nothing short of remarkable. Jesus writhed like an injured
worm on the cross (verse 6); He was mocked with virtually the
same words as the psalm quotes (verse 8); Jesus' lifeblood
poured out of His wounds like water pouring out of a broken
clay pot (verse 14); His hands and feet were pierced with nails
(verse 16); and finally His clothes were divided and gambled
over.

When you add to that the knowledge King David had never
seen a crucifixion before, it is a marvel. The fulfillment of these
details in Jesus' passion and death proves without a doubt the
Holy Spirit was guiding David through these predictions. And
these prophecies prove without a doubt that Jesus of Nazareth
was the long-promised Savior, David's Son and David's Lord.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophecies prove without
a doubt You are the Son of God, our Savior, God's own Messiah.
Make my faith firm until I see You face to face. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Psalm 6.

TEXT: I can count all my bones -- they stare
and gloat over me (Psalm 22:17).

One of the most painful aspects of crucifixion was having
your entire weight hanging from your hands. Your whole
body was stretched by the weight, which shot intense pain
through every joint, muscle and bone. The stretching also
caused the bones to stand out, which is why Jesus is able
to count all of them.
 
As David couples together Jesus' ability to see and count
all His bones, with His enemies staring and gloating over
Him we are reminded that crucified criminals were hung
naked. This removal of clothing served the purpose of
making crucifixion as great a deterrent as possible by
adding the shame of public nudity to the excruciating pain.
In Jesus' case, His enemies look on Him in hatred, and
take great pleasure in seeing His protruding bones and
watching Him writhe in agony.
 
What incredible love our Savior shows! He well might pray
for His Father to strike down such evildoers who take
pleasure in seeing their Lord and Christ suffering. Instead,
He prays "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do." Even though to forgive them, He is taking their
punishment upon Himself.

That also brings us back to the prayer that echoes over
and over again throughout this psalm: "My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me." Repeatedly, Jesus points out
His enemies' cruelty and savagery, their shameless
mockery, ridicule and torment. He asks His Father how
long He will continue to forsake Him, and pour out upon
Him such wrath and fury.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, Your love and grace is impossible to
measure. You endured such scorn and agony out of love
for the whole human race. Help me share that love with
everyone I meet. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)