Category: Expectation (Advent Series)

Psalm 22:1-5 (NLT)

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.”

As Jesus experienced the worst pain and agony of his life, he cried out with this psalm. While we cannot even imagine the torture of the cross, most of us have had a few “Where are you, God?” moments. When we are in the midst of desperation, we expect God to show up. We wait for the dramatic, last-minute miracle. And sometimes it doesn’t come.

When our despair and grief is not brought to a supernatural turning point, when hopes are dashed and disappointment seems to win, we can remember. We can recall the goodness and faithfulness of God to his people throughout history. Did he show up in each individual moment to take away the heartaches? No, he didn’t. But he did always come to the rescue of his people. He did not allow them to be disgraced. The story was never over when it seemed to be over.

When my circumstance is not good, God is good. When I am desperate, lonely, or afraid, God is good. When I have lost what is dearest to me, God is good. And his goodness will transform me, even if my circumstance never turns out how I hoped. His goodness will rescue me from a place where my situation dictates my story. In the kingdom of God, his goodness tells its own story and invites me to be a participant. That is when we are truly free because we are released from the role of main character. Everything comes back to God — and he is good.

Psalm 22:6-8 (NLT)

“But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, ‘Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!'”

Jesus really never was much of a complainer. He was treated pretty badly by a lot of people during his time on earth, not even including the whole cross thing. We’ve already established in this series that the Messiah was ugly. He didn’t get followers because of his looks, and the kind of followers he got were not exactly society’s “finest.” Here in this psalm that describes the Messiah, he experiences the lowest of all lows — he is a worm. You know that thing that you eat when nobody likes you and everybody hates you? Yeah, he’s that.

If we turn back to Matthew 27 and read about Jesus’ death on the cross, we see this psalm take on a prophetic meaning. People walked by the cross and mocked him. “If you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!” Eerily similar to this psalm that Jesus quotes moments later. Imagine the temptation: get down and save myself or stay here and save the world. Fight or flight of epic proportions.

Jesus fights for us. If he did not get down from that cross to prove himself to the mockers and save himself, he doesn’t give in easily. Satan has not stopped mocking us and he continues to mock our Messiah. Perhaps he’s deluded himself into thinking that the cross didn’t really prove all that much. I mean, here we are, 2000 years later and the battle still rages. Satan’s power has grown since that time. But the kingdom of God is ever-expanding as well, with a Messiah who we continue to believe is coming back for us. As Christmas nears, check in with your expectations. Do you think that Jesus is fighting for you? Do you expect him to win? Are you waiting for his return or have you lost a bit of your hope? Never forget that Satan and all his mockers want you to jump ship and lose your hope. Following Jesus means we fight that lie to the very end.

Merry Christmas!! I hope you have enjoyed this Advent series. Hope you continue join me and bring some friends along to make Bible reading a priority in the new year!

Psalm 22:9-10 (NLT)

“Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.”

It is fitting to end our exploration of Messianic expectation with these verses as we celebrate the birth of Jesus today. Imagine the risks God was taking in sending the Messiah as a baby. Bumpy travel, no room in any of the hotels, a bunch of cows and sheep hanging around during labor. Talk about a set up for birth complications. This prophetic psalm reminds us not to take it for granted that Jesus made it out of the womb alive.

Jesus’ birth was a moment when he officially entered Satan’s kingdom. God was protecting Jesus from day one. Jesus had many opportunities to abandon the mission or surrender to Satan. Turn a stone into bread, bow down for an earthly kingdom, get down off that cross and show the mockers who’s boss. But he didn’t. Why? He trusted God.

You do not have to worry about God starting something in your life and then leaving it unfinished. It’s not his style. When he starts a mission, he sees it through to the end. We sometimes get impatient when we see things going wrong or when God seems to take too long for our liking. But he’s working. Right now. Today. He’s working. If he started it, he will finish it. Let’s see what he’ll do in and through you this next year.