Christian Holiness Journal

Psalm 22 was written by King David approximately one thousand years before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, yet most theologians agree it prophetically foreshadows Jesus on the cross. 

Whenever I think of the passion week, I am emotionally drawn to the night spent in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was, for Jesus, something of a quiet retreat in the midst of conflict. A walled compound, a working olive press, a beautiful orchard, it sat at the foot of a mountain, only a stone’s throw from the Temple, opposite Golgotha. 

As Jesus prayed that night, I wonder if He asked Himself why He created such a beautiful garden so close to such an ugly Hill as Golgotha. Did He ever consider calling a legion of angels to rescue him? Did He regret creating mankind? Did He think of the 22nd Psalm, which He had inspired David to write, and wonder, is there another way?

Did He fell abandoned? Did He pray those words?

O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

And in the night season, and am not silent.

But You are holy,

Enthroned in the praises of Israel…

But I am a worm, and no man;

A reproach of men, and despised by the people…

But You are He who took Me out of the womb;

You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

I was cast upon You from birth.

From My mother’s womb

You have been My God.

Be not far from Me,

For trouble is near;

For there is none to help.

We learn at least thee important lessons from that night in Gethsemane. 

• First, since even the Son of God spent hours in prayer, it is of utmost importance that we spend considerable time in prayer. 

• Secondly, it is not a sin to question God’s plan for our lives, so long as we ultimately submit to His plan. We should be frank with God in our prayers, for He knows us better than we know ourselves. 

• Thirdly, Jesus endured such agony so that we don’t have to; He died in our place. 

I’m forgiven cause You were forsaken

I’m accepted, You were condemned

I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me

‘Cause You died and rose again

– Amazing Love, Billy James Foote 

I was six years old the first time I saw Branson, Missouri. For those of you who don’t know Branson, it is the live music capital of the world, boasting of tens of thousands theater seats, hundreds of amusement attractions, and over fifteen thousand hotel rooms. It has been called Las Vegas without the gambling. When I first saw it, it was much more quaint. 

My mother took us to the Sammy Lane Boat Line, where a few dozen of us boarded for a pirate adventure on Lake Taneycomo. During the adventure, I was chosen to “pilot the boat.” 

The ship’s captain told me to steer to the right of the buoy. 

Simple enough, but at six, I had never heard the word buoy. I should have asked what he meant, but I was too embarrassed. I wanted to be captain, and I figured every good captain should know the meaning of the word buoy. 

“Point towards that white thing,” he said. 

The only white things I saw were the reflections of sunlight off the lapping waters. So, I steered toward them. Straight towards the left bank. 

“No. No. Not that way,” he said. Within seconds, the captain had taken the wheel and spun it to the right, taking us into deeper waters. 

When I read this verse in Isaiah 30:21, I think of that boat captain, sitting behind me, talking in my ear, giving me directions. 

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,

“This is the way, walk in it,”

Whenever you turn to the right hand

Or whenever you turn to the left.

Then I think of a passage in Job 23:8-9, where Job is desperate to hear God’s voice guide him. 

“Look, I go forward, but He is not there,

And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;

When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;

When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.

How can we expect to walk in the footsteps of God during those times when God tests us, or we cannot hear His voice. Should we turn left or right? We cry, “Please God, tell us what to do!”

Job answers his own question: stay on the path that we know is right. Walk in His Word. 

He continues, 

But He knows the way that I take;

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

My foot has held fast to His steps;

I have kept His way and not turned aside.

Just steer a straight course. Stay in the channel of deep waters. And if you are a mere babe in Christ, like the six year old boy steering the boat, don’t worry. He will take the wheel I’d you go to far astray. 

Fear Not, for even when we cannot perceive the voice of God, His Word is Our Guide.