Living 4 Him

“After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I thirst.’” John 19:28
(New American Bible, Revised)

Remember dot-to-dot puzzles? Scenes incomplete until we followed the numbered dots with our pencils and drew lines to make a picture.  The statement from Jesus “I thirst” is not only a request from a dying man, but it also represents a dot from Psalm 22 connecting the threads of God’s sovereign plan to save his children.  Walking through the Psalm, we discover a God who lives close to the details of our lives, weaving our dots to bring about our best possible life.

The Psalms are a collection of hymns recited, sung and prayed by the Jews. As Jews sang the words of Psalm 22, inspiration penned by David during a time of intense suffering, they did not know the words also revealed a future suffering of their God, Jesus Christ the Savior. 

Note the comparison of Old and New Testaments below:

But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let God  deliver him,
    since he delights in him.” Psalm 22:6-8 (NIV)

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,  come down from the cross and save yourself!”  In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Mark 15:29-31 (NIV)

My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment. Psalm 22:15-18 (NIV)

There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.  When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Matthew 27:35-36 (NIV)

References to Jesus’ life and death are found in over 300 places in the Old Testament.https://www.about-jesus.org/complete-chart-prophecies-jesus.htm

Each dot connecting the Old Testament to the New Testament leads directly back to God.  God is the author of our story of salvation.

From the first bite Eve took of the apple, God crafted a way to bring his children back home safely from the terrors of earthly evil.

God is the author of grace revealed through Christ.

God is the author of hope planned for every one of his children.

God is the author who knows the answer to every question.

God is the author who has given every promise to his children for their good.

And our current story is not finished.  God’s goodness will eventually rule over all evil, (Revelation 20) because he has plans for good, not for evil, to give us all a future and a hope!  (Jeremiah 29:11)

From the notes in the Life Application Bible for Psalm 22:9-11 we read: God’s loving concern does not begin on the day we are born and conclude on the day we die.  It reaches back to those days before we were born and reaches ahead along the unending path of eternity.  Our only sure help comes from a God whose concern for us reaches beyond our earthly existence. 

Another look at Psalm 22 uncovers not only verses of grief and suffering, but also words of worship, of remembering who God is and what God will do.  Prayers of rescue and pleas for God to “come” present us with a final victory for God.

The poor will eat and be satisfied.
    All who seek the Lord will praise him.
    Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
    All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
For royal power belongs to the Lord.  Psalm 22: 26-28

God completes our picture; weaving the blessings of his heart into the crafting of souls, uniting us all in the merciful grace of his love.  Let’s trust God to connect the dots and witness his amazing plans for good.

Reaching in (taking God’s word into our souls):  Take time to explore the prophecy chart above and note the way God connects the dots in his plan for salvation.

Reaching out (taking God’s world into the world):  Find a verse in Psalm 22 that connects to you personally and use that verse to deepen your relationship with God.