English

𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗛

People from all nations and generations will proclaim God’s righteousness and Christ’s finished work. 

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗

𝘔𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘮𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦? . . . 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. . . 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘵.  𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟮𝟮:𝟭, 𝟮𝟳, 𝟯𝟬–𝟯𝟭 

During a vicious attack from his foes, David cries, “I am less than a  man, a nothing, a worm in the dirt. They mock me. They spit at me.  They shake their heads and sneer. They circle me like ravenous beasts. They pierce my hands, my feet. I can see my bones. My tormentors roar like bulls and dogs and wild oxen. I am poured out, empty, broken. My heart melts inside me. My strength is gone, my tongue sticks to my mouth. I lie in the dust of death” (adapted from Psalm 22:6–18).

No recorded incident in David’s life matches the intensity and agony of  these words. His lament exceeds his own suffering and foreshadows Christ’s suffering. David’s agony anticipates the immeasurable agony Jesus will endure on the cross when He pays the price for the salvation of the nations. Psalm 22 is prophecy in the form of a cry.  

As the psalm continues, David descends into suffering but rises in  worship. He begins in despair but ends in confidence with the final  words, “he has done it,” a foreshadowing of Christ’s triumphant cry  on the cross—“It is finished.” In this latter half of the psalm, David has  turned his gaze from himself to the nations, and his tone changes from lament to praise. He refocuses his attention in the midst of his circumstance and sees something bigger than himself: God’s mission for the nations and the coming generations.

We learn two important truths about God’s missional heart.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱. 

“𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋.”

Christ’s death on the cross was not just for one nation but for people of all nations, and it will finally result in the redemption of a multitude. 

𝟮. 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱.

“𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮.”

The mission does not end—it carries on. It is global and generational, as one generation disciples the next. It is our responsibility to disciple others in response to God’s missional call.

𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟮𝟮; 𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟳𝟴:𝟱–𝟳; 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟱𝟮:𝟭𝟬; 𝟱𝟯:𝟯–𝟱; 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮𝟳:𝟰𝟲 

𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Psalm 22 begins in anguish but ends in victory, shifting from despair to praise. Even in suffering, God is working out His purposes. How can you turn your moments of pain into opportunities for worship and witness?

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Identify one person in your workplace, school, or neighborhood from a different cultural or ethnic background. Take time to learn about their story, listen to their perspective, and find a way to share the love of Christ with them this week.

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

Jesus, You were forsaken so that we might be redeemed. Your agony fulfilled  the prophecy of Psalm 22, securing salvation for the nations. Through Your finished work on the cross, salvation has come to the ends of the earth. Let the nations remember and turn to You. 

Open the hearts of those who have never heard Your name, and let the gospel reach  every tribe, tongue, and people. May every family, every generation, and every nation bow in worship before Your throne. 

Raise up laborers for the harvest who will  declare that redemption is accomplished and the debt is paid. Send us wherever You will, that our lives may be spent for Your glory.

May our lives reflect Christ’s victory, and may the nations rejoice in Your salvation. Amen.