Psalm 22:23-24 - March 05, 2009

Ps 22:23-24 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." NIV

Why should the Lord be feared? Why is he worthy of a reverent heart? Throughout history it has often been the nature of the great and the strong to despise the weak, to look down upon the poor and those in need. Too often the cries of the desperate are met with neglect and rejection. Yet the word of God displays the worth of the Lord through his kindness towards the afflicted and those who cry for help. He is the most powerful being in heaven or on earth and yet
he has chosen to lower himself and become accessible to the weakest of men.
Imagine the greatest president, emperor or dictator of the world reaching down from his high position to listen to the plea of a little old woman who desires justice. The awe inspiring reality of what God has done is that he has not only done this incredible act, he has done so with love and care, genuinely interested in the woman not simply moved by the pain of her condition. Yes, God is merciful, yes God is just, but he is so much more than that. God is love! This is why he deserves our honor and reverence. He could have simply passed us by. He could have only met our need and moved on to the next request. Instead, God hears our cry and then offers intimate relationship for those who will take the time for him.
In the hour of our need God is there. When we are feeling weak and discouraged God is there. The apostle Paul confidently wrote in Rom 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” an inseparable love and an unfailing love as Paul states in I Co. 13:8. These are the things that set God apart from all other beings. His character is completely trustworthy and when he sets a boundary for his children it is truly motivated by a loving understanding of what is best for us. Because of this we can choose a life of obedience and reverence because we are sure that there is no unclean motive in the heart of the one who has made the command. We can fear with a clean sense of knowing that God will never express anger, discipline or correction out of an impatience or selfish anger but only out of a righteous, just and loving motivation. When we understand this reality we can enter into a deeper trust in God and his leading in our lives. We can also confidently obey his commands knowing that we will benefit from all that the Lord directs us to do.