April 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

This is the lament of a righteous person. He has trusted in God all his life: "From my mother's womb you have been my God." And now God has let him down. God has surrendered him to his enemies, to the beasts, to the demons. He calls them bulls, lions, dogs, wild oxen.

This is the worst trouble God's children can experience. They have staked their lives on the reliability of God. They never resorted to deceit or violence. Instead they said, "We trust in our God." But they seem to have trusted in a God who is unable to help.

Therefore it is not the violence or ugliness of these beasts or demons that hurts so much; it is the mockery of the enemies that cuts to the heart. "He trusts in the lord; let the lord rescue him." It is the pain of such remarks that wrenches the cry from his mouth: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus was a righteous man. He clung to God from the day he was born. "I must be in my Father's house," he said when he was twelve years old. And when he was somewhat older he said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me." But Jesus' obedience to God led him to a cross.

While he was hanging on the beams, Jesus thought of Psalm 22. The whole psalm becarne his psalm. God had surrendered him to his taunting enemies. (Were they people, or beasts, or demons?) "He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God' " (Matt. 27:43). While the sun was darkened, Jesus sang his lam­entation with and for God's people: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

However, when Jesus had uttered this cry, his suffering and ours was nearly over, for the lament of Christ is not merely the voice of one of God's suffering children. It is also God's answer to our cries.

REFLECTIONS

When, if ever, have you felt "forsaken by God"? How was your trust in God restored?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.