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| From Psalms |
Psalm 22 Part II (Verses 16-29)
16For dogs have compassed me:
the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
they pierced my hands and my feet.
17I may tell all my bones:
they look and stare upon me.
18They part my garments among them,
and cast lots upon my vesture.
19But be not thou far from me, O LORD:
O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20Deliver my soul from the sword;
my darling from the power of the dog.
21Save me from the lion's mouth:
for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22I will declare thy name unto my brethren:
in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him;
all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him;
and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24For he hath not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted;
neither hath he hid his face from him;
but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation:
I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26The meek shall eat and be satisfied:
they shall praise the LORD that seek him:
your heart shall live for ever.
27All the ends of the world
shall remember and turn unto the LORD:
and all the kindreds of the nations
shall worship before thee.
28For the kingdom is the LORD's:
and he is the governor among the nations.
29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship:
all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him:
and none can keep alive his own soul.
This is a big psalm - not just in the fact it needs to be broken into three parts, and more than I led on yesterday. This psalm, through the grace of God, is the spirit of Christ speaking through the psalmist, well in advance of his presence on earth. Obviously, they pierced his hands and feet in the crucifixion - just as part II starts here today in verse 16. In the part I, a couple of days ago, I failed to mention how Matthew (27:46) describes Jesus "cried out in a loud voice...'My God, my God, why have you foresaken me?'" Earlier in Matthew (27:36) They divided up his clothes by casting lots - just as the psalmist writes here in verse 18.
So, now that I have mentioned these things...why is this important to an addict? This confirms our faith in him as the Messiah. With that the tone changes around verse 22. From one of suffering, and portraying the story of the crucifixion to something much greater. To a tone of praise and redemption. It makes sense to me, that at this turning point, that the spirit has risen from the cross. For all this suffering was not in vain (verse 24) and God did not abhor this nor did he hide his face from Christ. In fact, when Christ cried out God heard, and all debts for sins have been repaid.
Thankfully these sins include all those evils we did while our minds were addicted. The lies and the stealing. The envy and the selfishness. In the extreme cases, like those poor drunks who have killed while driving intoxicated, the murder. If we seek forgiveness we will be forgiven. If we seek recovery we will be saved from our addiction. This forgiveness does not come easily though. The path to salvation comes through a fairly demanding path for an addict. It includes admitting the true nature of our wrongs, asking for help with those wrongs and making amends wherever possible. All this requires turning our lives over to our Higher Power and requires perseverance every day.
I know this to be true because I am starting to see it in my life. Just as I have seen it in other addicts and alcoholics lives around me. I am rebuilding my marriage. I have stopped lying and covering up where I've been and where I've been spending money. Slowly but surely I am making amends where I need to and filling in the holes that my addiction left behind. With the will of God my life is slowly becoming whole again - a hope that I have for all addicts out there.
Thanks for letting me share.
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