March 4, 2021

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations. – Psalm 22:27-28

The beginning of the 22nd Psalm, attributed to David, shows the expression of Lament, with the infamous words also uttered by Jesus on the cross, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me.” Yet, even in lament of one’s own situation in life, we find the reminder that we are called to honor and praise God. For we stand in awe of His majesty.

It is easy for us to want to lament our situations in life, when aspects of life are difficult, but we must remember that no matter the path we walk, Jesus walks with us. The gospels and epistles teach us that Jesus has walked the difficult path of humanity, and so we know that no matter what we face, Jesus has taken on worse. The God who cares for us, walks the path beside us, giving us all the more reason to offer our praise.

God cares about the laments we have in life. Despite those circumstances that cause us to cry out, God listens, hears, and is present with us. The psalmist recognizes this pattern of lament to rejoicing, and even in this lament, the claim is made that we must continue to praise God, honor him in our worship, and remember that all belongs to the Lord, who has dominion over everything.

When life becomes dire, let us continue to praise. When life is good, let us continue to praise. In all the in-between times let us continue to praise. In all our life, and with all our life, let us praise the Lord, and let our worship be for His glory.

Grace & Peace,
Sam