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  1. Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:27-31

    1D AGO

    Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:27-31

    Today is Good Friday and perhaps you're wondering, why is it called Good Friday? Because by all worldly standards, it would seem like it's a very bad thing that this perfect man is being murdered. But it's good. Number one, because God is a good God and he sent his perfect Son to die for undeserving sinners. Then, number two, it's a good Friday because the cross was our only way to be made right with a holy God. Psalm 22:27-31, the last part of the Psalm, moves out to the nations. In the previous verses, we see David referring to his people — Israel — the congregation. Now we move out to a bigger picture of the nations and how the nations will come and bow before him. They will serve him, the ruling and reigning King. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 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 22:27-31 All Will Bow The psalmist says, “Before him, all will bow down.” It says, “Those who bow down in the dust”. In other words, those who will die, which is all of us. Even those who could not keep themselves alive. This is us. We could not keep ourselves alive. When we think Good Friday, we realize we cannot rescue ourselves. We cannot keep ourselves alive. We need the cross. We need to sit with Good Friday before we can appreciate Holy Saturday and Resurrection Sunday. The last couple of verses in this psalm to me are just a perfect and beautiful summary of Christ's sufferings and his subsequent glories. Listen to what it says here in the last couple of verses. It says, “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.” Finished I love that last line: he has done it. What is so amazing about this final phrase, “He has done it.” is it’s the same word in the Hebrew that is used in Genesis 2:1-2. He finished the work he completed at creation. Fast forward to the cross and we see Jesus finishing it. It is finished. He completed what we could not do. We could not keep ourselves alive. God did it for us in his Son, Jesus Christ. That is why it's called Good Fridaу. Think about this, as we come into this weekend, Holy Saturday, and we sit in this pain and this uncertainty that the disciples experienced. On Holy Saturday all is silent, he remains in the grave. A lot is going on, but he remains in the grave and they are confused. They don't know where to turn. They're scared. So we also sit with Holy Saturday in the silence. Soon we will experience resurrection morning and a new creation because it is finished and he has done it. So tomorrow, take time to sit in that silence. Reflect on what the disciples must have felt—the confusion, the sorrow, the waiting. In many ways, we sit there with them in the quiet, in the waiting, in the unknown. We cannot fully appreciate the joy of the resurrection unless we first sit in the stillness of Holy Saturday. Thank you so much for listening and following along on this journey toward the cross through Psalm 22. I hope you've enjoyed this series during Holy Week. I hope it has been something that ministered to your heart and has helped you fix your eyes on Christ as you approach Easter. May Resurrection Sunday be all the more sweeter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    5 min
  2. Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:22-26

    2D AGO

    Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:22-26

    Today is Holy Thursday, also called Maundy Thursday, the day when Jesus gave the new commandment: to love one another just as He has loved us (John 13:34). As we continue in Psalm 22, remember that this psalm is beautifully divided into two main sections. Verses 1–21 focus on the sufferings of Christ, while verses 22 through the end shift to the subsequent glories. In the first section, we saw the deep, inward suffering of Christ. When we read the Gospels, we often see the outward events of the crucifixion, as if we are standing there as spectators. But in Psalm 22, we are invited into the inner experience of that suffering — the anguish, the weight, the spiritual agony. Now, as we move into verses 22–26, there is a dramatic turning point. I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! - Psalm 22:22-26 Verse 22 begins:“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” It’s as if David suddenly bursts into praise. What’s striking is that his circumstances have not visibly changed—and yet, everything has changed. There is a shift from suffering to confident praise. In verse 23, he calls on Israel, the people of God, to fear the Lord, to stand in awe of him, and to glorify him. And in verse 24, he gives the reason: “For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,and he has not hidden his face from him,but has heard when he cried to him.” This is crucial. Earlier in the psalm, we heard the cry, “Why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). But now we see the fuller reality: God did not ultimately turn away. He heard. He answered. This points us directly to the cross. Yes, we were the afflicted ones—broken by sin and in need of rescue. But even more, Christ became the afflicted One for us. He bore the full weight of sin—past, present, and future. He suffered in obedience to the Father and out of love for His people. And yet, the story does not end in suffering. Psalm 22 moves us toward resurrection hope. God did not abandon his Son to death. As Hebrews 5:7 tells us, Jesus “offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears… and he was heard because of his reverence.” That hearing is ultimately seen in the resurrection. The Father answered the Son, not by sparing him from death, but by raising him through it. So when Psalm 22 says that God “has not hidden his face,” we understand this in light of the full redemptive story: the cross and the empty tomb. Now in verses 22–26, the tone is not just personal—it’s communal. Praise spreads outward. The afflicted are invited in: “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord.May your hearts live forever!” This is the language of restoration, provision, and eternal life. It echoes the voice of a victorious, risen King. Because Christ was afflicted for us, we who were afflicted are now invited to be satisfied in him, to live forever. This is the glory of the cross: * Suffering that leads to salvation * Death that leads to life * Affliction that leads to eternal satisfaction We glory not only in the cross, but in the resurrection and in the promise of what is still to come. As we move toward Good Friday, we’ll continue to see how this psalm ultimately points us to the finished work of Christ in its fullness. Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, and this is when Jesus gives the new commandment to love one another as he had loved them. Remember Psalm 22 is split right down the middle into two sections. The first section is verses 1 through 21, and it focuses on the sufferings of Christ. We saw the inward suffering that he experienced. Remember, when we look at the Gospels and we see Christ in the Gospels, it's as if we're spectators looking on, seeing what's happening outwardly. But when we read Psalm 22, we see what's going on the inside. So the first section is the sufferings of Christ. Now we move into the second section, which is verses 22 through the end of the chapter. This is the subsequent glory. As we read Psalm 22:22-26 you will see this change in verse 22. It's pretty significant. It's as if David just bursts out in praise yet nothing has changed in his circumstances. Remember, this is still going on, but there's a turning here. We see that when he starts to say, “I will tell of your name to my brothers.” He talks about the people of Israel and the nation of Israel. He's exalting in him and standing in awe of him, then encourages others to praise him. In verse 24, he tells them why they should praise him. He says, “for he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. And he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard when he cried to him.” So he continues to talk about praising God because of this, because he has heard and he has not abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. David focuses in this section on the fact that we praise him. Because he did not hide his face from us. He heard. This is the picture of the cross. We were the afflicted ones. We needed rescuing. God came to our rescue and sent his son to die to suffer horribly and to feel the full weight and to experience the full weight and punishment of our sin — past, present, and future. All of it. Because he loved the Father and because he wanted to obey the Father completely and because he loved his children. This is such a beautiful picture of the glory of the cross. Not only were we the afflicted ones, but Christ was afflicted for us. God raised him from the dead. He was risen. He did not hide his face from him. He listened and he heard his cry and he rose from the grave. This is the joy that we have, the glories of Christ in the cross, the resurrection and his second coming. In Hebrews 5:7, it says, He offered up offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. We see this fulfilled in the resurrection. Even in Psalm 22, as we look at us being the afflicted ones, but also Christ being the one that was afflicted and God heard his petition, not only for himself, but his petition for us, how he intercedes for us right now. He interceded on the cross for us and he intercedes for us even now, at the right hand of the father. Then in this section in verse 22 through 26, where he's calling on his brothers to praise the Lord because he has not abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. He ends in verse 26 by saying, “the afflicted shall eat and be satisfied.” Those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever. Is this not a call of a resurrected King? May your hearts live forever. I love how this Psalm focuses on the sufferings of Christ and then it turns and focuses on the glories of Christ, the subsequent glories. We glory in the cross. We glory in the resurrection. Because he did not abhor the affliction of the afflicted. We the afflicted will eat and be satisfied and live forever. He is eternal life there. Tomorrow is Good Friday and we will look at the final section of this Psalm. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    5 min
  3. Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:12-21

    2D AGO

    Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:12-21

    Today is Holy Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday, and we are reading Psalm 22:12-21. It is called Spy Wednesday because this is the day we remember Christ’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot. According to Matthew 26:14-15, Judas went to the chief priests and made a deal to expose and hand Jesus over to them for thirty pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver in that day was the price of the accidental death of a slave (Exodus 21:32). This would have been the lowest legal human value. Judas betrayed Jesus at the lowest price for a human life. Today, we catch a glimpse into the inner workings of betrayal and suffering. Perhaps we might see our own suffering or moments of betrayal in the psalmist’s lament. Many commentators say that when we see Christ in the Gospels, it’s as if we are spectators looking on, seeing what’s happening from the outside. But when we read Psalm 22, it’s like we get a glimpse of the agony that Christ experienced on the inside. Keep this in mind as we read (and write) today’s verses: Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! - Psalm 22:12-21 Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David wrote these words which many years later would be fulfilled in Christ. We see Christ experience all of this on the cross and today, in Psalm 22, we witness his inner turmoil as God’s redemption plan unfolded. The structure of this psalm is in two parts and verse 21 is the turning point of the entire psalm. The first part, verses 1-21, is known as the Sufferings of Christ and then verses 22 to the end of the psalm is known as the Subsequent Glory. I want you to notice that in verses 12-21 we have a structure — known as a chiastic structure — that points us to a central turning point and then moves out mirroring the previous section. Here is the chiastic structure in Psalm 12-21: A. Surrounded by enemies (vv. 12-13) B. Physical suffering & weakness (vv. 14-15) C. Piercing & exposure (vv.16-17) D. Garments divided (v. 18) - Matthew 27:35 C’. Continued attack & threat (vv. 19-20) B’. Cry for rescue from deadly danger (v. 21a) A’. Delivered/Answered (v. 21b) Surrounded First, we see David is surrounded. He is talking about bulls encompassing him. The word “encompass” and “encircle” just mean that he is surrounded. He doesn’t see a way out. This idea appears a couple times here. When we think of Christ’s agony on the cross and we remember how the religious leaders were there mocking him and how the crowd and even the soldiers were mocking him. He is surrounded and in this moment he feels it. The vivid words used paint a picture of the pain he is experiencing inside. Maybe you’ve felt something similar when you were surrounded by evil or your circumstances were unimaginable and you didn’t even know how you were going to get out. You felt like there was no one to help. Yesterday, in verse 11 we see the confession that there is none to help. But here in this passage, he says, but YOU are my help. He turns and realizes there is no one physically that can help, BUT God is his help. I think we sometimes experience this turning to God in those times when we feel surrounded by evil, knowing that our enemy, the devil is like a roaring lion seeking to devour. Thank goodness we have a Hero who not only faced the forces of hell himself, but lives to intercede for us. Internal Suffering David goes on in detail to describe how he’s feeling on the inside. We see this mirrored in Christ’s agony on the cross as he describes his pain in images of being poured out like water, bones out of joint, heart melting like wax, strength being dried up like a broken piece of pottery, unquenchable thirst. His life feels fragile in this moment. He senses the approach of death in every fiber of his being. We see all of this fulfilled in the Gospels. Can you imagine as David, inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words, as his quill hits the papyrus, he marvels at the meaning of these words? He owns this agony, but wonders at the words being given him. And then we, on the other side of the revelation of Christ, witness these words being acted out in Jesus’s suffering. We can experience this agony physically in our lives. We might feel like our circumstances are overwhelming, but we know that Jesus physically experienced all these things. We see a vivid timeline of his physical sufferings acted out on the stage in the Gospels: his hands and feet being pierced and all of his bones can be counted. In John 19, we see his garments divided. All of this is prophetic and no detail is left behind in the Gospels. The Only Help In verse 19 of Psalm 22, we see the transition word, “but”. We’ve seen several transition words used in this psalm. But and yet. Here we witness a turning point, “But you, O LORD, do not be far off, oh you, my help come quickly to my aid!” He calls the LORD his help. In verse 11, he states there is NO ONE to help and here he turns to God as the ONLY ONE who can help. He is our only hope. Notice how every sentence in this section ends with an exclamation point. He is shouting. Help me! Deliver my soul from the sword! Deliver my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! I love how David continuously comes back to who God is. He’s feeling many emotions. He’s surrounded, but yet he keeps coming back to God as his only help. I think that’s something we can learn from David’s transition here, even though nothing has changed about his circumstances, he recognizes God as his only help and he cries out to him. As we look toward Easter and the cross, it’s good for us to remind ourselves that it was our sin that put him on the cross. It was our sin that caused him to be in agony like this. It was our sin that caused him to feel like his strength was dried up, that his bones were out of joint and his heart was melted like wax. He was physically thirsty for us and they cast lots for his garments, sealing the fact that he would die. All of these things were describing his experience in detail; he did this for us. Verse 21 ends the Sufferings of Christ section in this psalm and tomorrow we will move into the Subsequent Glory. I think it’s important to keep in mind that when we see Christ in the Gospels it’s as if we’re bystanders or spectators, but in Psalm 22 we are getting a peek into the agony he experienced on the inside. The pain he experienced should cause us to reflect on the WHY of the cross and the WHY of the Resurrection. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    11 min
  4. Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:6-11

    4D AGO

    Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:6-11

    Today is Holy Tuesday and we're reading in Psalm 22:6-11. I cannot wait to share with you what I came across a few years back when I studied this psalm, about that word “worm” in the psalm and it's fascinating. I'm going to share it with you in just a minute, but first, let’s look over this entire section. But I am a worm and not a man,scorned by mankind and despised by the people.All who see me mock me;they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Yet you are he who took me from the womb;you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.On you was I cast from my birth,and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.Be not far from me, for trouble is near,and there is none to help. - Psalm 22:6-11 The passage begins by David saying, “I am a worm and not a man despised by mankind and the people”. In contrast to his focus on God’s holiness in verse three, we see David’s realization of his own condition before a holy God. He talks about how they're saying things like “Well, if he trusts God, let God deliver him, let God rescue him.” We hear this echoed in the gospels in Jesus’s life. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3). We saw yesterday in the first five verses he mentions three times the word trust. He goes back and he remembers how God led his people out and rescued his people. He talks about his fathers trusting in him and that he puts his trust in him as well. We see this on the cross when Jesus exclaims, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Yet This is that tension we sometimes feel. We're battling where we're at currently in our circumstances and how that makes us see things as we struggle with our view of God in the midst of feeling forsaken. We see him again in this section, go back to that word “yet”. “Yet you brought me forth from my mother's womb,” he says, and “you made me trust in you.” We also see that word “trust” come up again and we feel that tension, don't we? We're wrestling with our circumstances and what we know to be true about God and what we're feeling and all these hard things that create so much tension. In the midst of this struggle, he's recognizing that God made him trust in him from birth, from his mother’s womb. He ordained each day. And then he says this, “but trouble is near, trouble is near and there is none to help.” Think back on Jesus's life and remember the garden of Gethsemane, where he wrestled with the circumstances and the burden that was placed on him, but he willingly yielded to the Father’s will and went to the cross. It says he did this, “for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame and he's seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) What we see in this psalm is a picture of Jesus’s suffering mirrored in David’s suffering. Now we come back to that word, “worm”. I just love how God uses creation to paint a picture of the gospel for us! When I first came across this, I thought it was strange. And I thought, “Well, he could just be saying I'm nothing.” You know, I'm a worm and not a man. But the word typically used for “worm” in Scripture is “maggot”, like an everyday maggot. But this word, this word in this verse is totally different. It is a specific type of worm. A Worm Follow me here, the scientific word for this worm is Coccus ilicis. It is a crimson worm or a scarlet worm. Let that sink in for a minute. Actually, they used these worms, particularly the substance that came out of these worms, for dyeing fabric red. So here you have this worm and when they're ready to have offspring, they will attach themselves to a piece of wood, like a tree or a post. They are so attached, they are so committed, that in order for them to come off of it, you would have to rip the worm apart. So they attach themselves to this tree and then they have offspring and the offspring are hidden underneath their body. When the offspring hatch, they begin to eat the flesh of the worm. When that happens, the worm then releases a substance that stains the offspring red. It stains them crimson red. Then the worm will die and fall off of the tree and it turns white. Is your mind blown yet? There are so many connections as we think about this and what Christ accomplished on the cross. He was committed. He was not going to come down off of that cross. He was committed to following through in order to fulfill everything. But not only that, his blood cleanses us and we are stained by his blood, washed by his blood, because he sacrificed himself and died in our place. Isn’t it amazing how God uses created things to illustrate a picture of what Christ accomplished on the cross? I was so excited to be able to share this with you today. I just love this picture of how Jesus was fully committed to the cross in order to fulfill God’s plan to appease and absorb God's wrath on the cross. Because we could never, we could never do that for ourselves. What a beautiful picture! I just love it when God reveals little nuggets like that. I’m in awe of how God uses things in creation to illustrate what Christ accomplished on the cross. Meditate on this truth today: Christ was committed to the cross and he was committed to the will of the Father FOR US because we couldn't do it for ourselves. We couldn't rescue ourselves and we needed him to give his life for us, to appease the wrath of God for us so that we could be justified, so that we could be clean and washed by his blood that is poured out for us. When trouble is near, the only one who can help is the One who makes us trust in him. We rely on his work on the cross through his Beloved Son. Even in the face of scorn and mocking, he is worthy of our trust and he is the only one who CAN help. Be not far from me, O God, for there is none to help but you. You’re all I’ve got! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    8 min
  5. Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:1-5

    4D AGO

    Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:1-5

    How often do you come to a holiday like Easter and it seems to be over before you even get a chance to enjoy it? One way to be more present is to spend time during the season before Easter (which is called Lent). Whether you chose to participate in Lent or not, a simple way to bring focus before Easter Sunday is to take this week (which is called Holy Week) and meditate on Jesus’s journey toward the cross. I don't know if you've ever observed Holy Week, but it's simply a time to focus in on Jesus's last few days on this earth before he was crucified. It is one of my favorite times of year in the church calendar. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, and goes through to Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday. Thinking on these things forces us to meditate on him and on the cross all week, making Easter all the more sweeter. How are you going to focus your heart and your mind this week on Jesus as we move toward Easter? In the past, I've used devotionals or walked through a gospel or focused in on a passage that talked about Jesus's last days on this earth before he was crucified. Psalm 22 is a passage I often turn to during Holy Week. Even though I've studied this psalm before, there is so much more to gain from meditating on this passage. Jesus quoted quite a bit from this psalm while on the cross. Today and the next four days, we will be digging into this psalm. There will be five podcasts walking through Psalm 22. I encourage you to write out this psalm as we go. This practice can be very helpful. Why? This psalm is rich with meaning. It is a Psalm of David. It’s also a Psalm of Lament, which is fitting for these last days as we follow Jesus on his walk towards Calvary. This psalm begins with the words we hear Jesus speak from the cross in a moment of abandonment. He says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I don't know about you, but I've been there. I've had things happen in my life and had things happen in our family's life that cause us to ask those big “why” questions like, “God, what in the world are you even doing?” “Why is this happening? I can't even process this.” David continues his questioning in the psalm by stating the extent of his abandonment. “Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer. And by night, but I find no rest.” He is constantly calling out to God, but he's finding no rest. Jesus spoke these very words from the cross as he was experiencing the full weight of the wrath of God and the abandonment by his Father for us. David answers himself by saying this, “Yet you are holy.” Isn’t it interesting that right after he finishes crying out in the face of abandonment, seeking answers but not receiving any response, he chooses this attribute of God to arrest his wayward whys? You would think he might focus in on an attribute like the fact that God would never leave or forsake him, or God’s love. But instead he focuses on God's holiness. This is huge, especially as we look at the cross and what it means for us today. I know it’s not the first attribute we might choose, but it begs our meditation. Think on his holiness today. Wrestle with the fact that his holiness is what required Jesus to be forsaken for us. Remember David then turns his attention on remembering. He's going way back to remember God's rescue of his people in the Exodus. We do the same thing as we walk through these last few days. We remember. We remember how God rescued us, how we had nothing to bring him but our own sin and he chose abandonment, in order to die in our place so that instead of us experiencing abandonment, we would enjoy acceptance. The focus on God's holiness is intentional. That is one attribute of God we can focus on this week: his holiness. Sit with the forsaken psalmist as he meditates on God’s holiness in the midst of his crying out. Why would he choose to focus on this attribute of God here? God placed the wrath that was reserved for us on Jesus at the cross. He was abandoned so that we could be accepted. Today, I encourage you to give yourself permission to pray raw prayers, to ask the whys, to wrestle with your feelings of forsakenness and to sit with his holiness. This is where it begins. A holy God must punish sin and he did in his Son’s sacrifice on the cross for us. His ways are holy and just and his plan is beyond our understanding. Trust him. Trust his holiness. Trust in his sacrifice. Trust in his rescue. When the whys are looming large, trust him. If you don't already have something you're reading this week or something that you're walking through, I would encourage you to join me as I read through Psalm 22, listen to the podcasts or follow along on YouTube. As you follow along, write the Scripture out. There's something about writing down the Scripture. The words will just jump off the page. There's a different level of comprehension when we write Scripture. Join along this week as we journey toward the cross through Psalm 22. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    9 min

  6. FEB 23

    Come and Dwell: The Promise of Psalm 91 - Part Two

    A couple weeks ago, we looked at the first part of Psalm 91:1 and how this speaks to our trials and difficult situations. The shelter of the Most High is not just a place we run to when we’re in trouble, although that is our privilege, but it’s a place we dwell, inhabit, and reside in the shelter of El Elyon, God Most High. Today we are going to talk about the second part of Psalm 91:1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. - Psalm 91:1 This is where all of this comes together and forms a complete thought in our hearts and reaches to those places where we feel lost, beaten, bruised and broken. If you noticed, there is a cause and effect that seems to be underlying in this verse. IF you dwell in the shelter of the Most High, you WILL abide in the shadow of the Almighty. As we looked at the word “dwell” in the previous episode, we learned that it focuses more on location and permanence. We make our home, settle, remain, sit down — instead of passing through, we set up permanent residence. It’s where we position ourselves. Abide is a little different. The word “abide” focuses more on nearness and presence. Where dwell focuses on our permanent position as we choose to place ourselves in his presence; abide is staying close to God with the emphasis on God choosing to remain with us. As we dwell — as we place ourselves in the shelter of the Most High — living closely with him, not just in times of trouble, but always; the result is that God‘s provision is his shadow that covers us in all seasons. We don’t run to the shadow when we’re in trouble we remain in the shelter and because of that remaining and staying, his shadow falls on us and we are protected. Not protected from any and all evil, but protected in spite of evil. Shadow in that day would have meant protection because the sun was so blazing hot. Trees that cast a shadow would be a nice reprieve from the heat of the sun; it protected a weary traveler or someone working outside. The sun was still there. In the same way, we WILL experience evil in this fallen, sinful world; but we can be hopeful that when we dwell in the shelter of the Most High, we will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. El Shaddai Which brings us to another point: Why does the psalmist use Almighty instead of Most High? We saw that God Most High speaks to his sovereign authority over all things. Almighty (El Shaddai) speaks of his power and sufficiency. We live and dwell in the shelter of the Most High, the one who is sovereignly over all and holds complete authority over every circumstance in our lives, whether good or evil. And because we live in the shelter of the Most High, we abide, and are safe, in the shadow of the Almighty; the one who is sufficient to keep us safe even in evil. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4 He is our shade at our right hand. It’s close and personal. This picture paints with brush strokes of a nurturing tone, which is very personal. The psalmist is combining two truths in this verse: * El Elyon (God Most High) - is sovereignly reigning over all things and is a strong shelter for us to stay always. * El Shaddai (God Almighty) - is close and personal, protecting and nurturing us in the storm. The heat of the sun is not removed but when we shelter in the Most High we have a shadow provided from this shelter in the Almighty that touches our lives in a very personal way right where we are at. So if you feel like you are being beaten down by the sun and the pressures of life through your circumstances, and you feel like you’re walking through the shadow of death, know this: God Most High is your shelter forever. He is a reliable place to dwell and live forever and because of that he shadows you by the power of the Almighty, right where you’re at, right in the middle of the hard; right in the middle of the sun beating down on you and zapping you of any energy you have, he brings a nurturing and refreshing shadow. Dwell in his shelter and delight in his shadow. His shelter provides a life-giving shadow. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    6 min

  7. FEB 2

    Come and Dwell: The Promise of Psalm 91 - Part One

    I have a confession…most of my prayers have come from a very desperate place. They are hasty arrows shot into the dark in a moment of crisis. Maybe you experience this same conviction in your prayer life. Your prayers are formed in the moment without much thought put into them. On one hand, this is the privilege we have as believers to come before the throne of grace anytime in anyway, but on the other hand, I am convicted that most of my prayers arrive like a visitor to an AirBNB, in the moment of crisis, instead of choosing him as my constant dwelling place. I run to the shelter (which is my right and privilege) but I recognize this is where I need to make my home. Is he your default posture or your primary residence? The Shelter of the Most High Psalm 91:1 is the verse for my year which goes along with my word for the year: Abide. I have been meditating on the two sections in this verse. Today, I want to break down the first section: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” What does it mean to dwell in the shelter of the Most High? What is significant about this particular name for God and how does it relate to abiding? What is a shelter? These are the questions I will try and answer today. The Hebrew words for “dwell” and “abide” in this verse have different nuances in their meanings. The word “dwell” focuses more on location and permanence. We make our home, settle, remain, sit down — instead of passing through, we set up permanent residence. It’s where we position ourselves. Abide is a little different. Abide focuses more on nearness and presence. We abide by settling down and inhabiting with presence. The root of abide is what makes up the word for “Shekinah” which is God’s dwelling presence. Where dwell focuses on OUR permanent position as we choose to place ourselves in his presence; abide is staying close to God with the emphasis on God choosing to remain with us. Dwelling My next post will dive more into how these two work together in Psalm 91:1, but today the focus is on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. So, we’ve learned so far that the word dwell is our secure position with God because we live there. Dwelling in God’s shelter is about identity and belonging. The word shelter is a secret place or a hiding place. Colossians 3:3 spells this out perfectly: For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. - Colossians 3:3 Our lives are secure and our identity is set when we live in the hidden place of our union with Christ in God. This is where we find our confidence when crisis hits. Most High Now, the next question we must ask of this text is: What is significant about the use of the name for God here - “Most High”? Most High is not just a random selection of one of God’s names, it is loaded with meaning. Most High is El Elyon in Hebrew. “El” meaning God, the strong one and “Elyon” meaning highest, exalted, supreme, above all. When we put these together it means: God who is above every power, authority and threat. That means he ranks above any circumstance or crisis that unfolds in our lives. God is introduced as the highest authority. This is important and matters so much in our every day lives. What this means in our struggles and sorrows is that the enemy does not have the final say, nothing has authority over you apart from God. God is higher than our circumstances. Before we even begin to look at the promise that Psalm 91:1 holds; we have to begin by recognizing the power God holds over every detail of our lives. God is powerful enough to protect because he rules over all things. It’s not saying nothing bad will happen, but nothing bad happening has authority over you to destroy you apart from God. And we know from Scripture that his thoughts toward us are for our good and for our growth in Christ. Instead of frantically running to the shelter of the Most High in a moment of crisis, we choose to dwell, to remain, to live and move and breathe in this shelter that is hidden and secret, because our life is hidden in Christ and our lives are ordered by El Elyon the only one with ultimate authority. Hidden with Christ If you are in a place of crisis right now, let this truth encourage you. El Elyon - God Most High - is sovereignly moving and reigning in your tragedies. He is working good, kneading it like yeast in bread, to create a well-risen life full of his grace. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God. This is our home. This is our shelter in the storm. He is the strong one with ultimate authority. Nothing happens outside of his complex and wonderful plan. This shelter can withstand the strongest of winds. We have a picture in one of the rooms in our house of a giant lighthouse. Huge waves are pummeling this lighthouse and if you look really closely in the doorway of this lighthouse, there stands a man with his hands in his pockets. He carries the confidence of this lighthouse’s strength. He is not afraid of the destruction of the waves, because he is safe in the shelter of the lighthouse which is his home. God is our lighthouse. He is powerful enough to turn good out of evil. He has the final say and no chaos operates outside his rule. When we call him God Most High it reorients our fear. Fear causes our hearts to cower at the powerfulness of a desperate situation, but faith towers over the situation with the confidence of the One who trumps all. Next week, we will look at the intentional ordering of Most High and Almighty in this verse and the differences between dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and abiding in the shadow of the Almighty. But for now, settle yourself in the strong One’s presence. Position yourself in his secure shelter always, not just when trials arise. Your position is secure when you place yourself under his authority, even when things don’t make sense in your life, you can be confident that the Most High - El Elyon - holds your life together. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    9 min

  8. JAN 26

    Trusting Jesus Beyond Your Own Ability

    If you feel like there is no point to putting in effort towards something maybe because you are unsure of your ability or insecure of your calling then today’s message is for you! Currently at our church, we are going through the Gospel of John. This past Sunday we were in John 2 looking at the first of Jesus’ miracles: Turning Water into Wine. This first miracle was performed at a wedding and if you know the story, you know how it goes. Jesus turned the water into wine. If you’re new to this story, here it is in a nutshell: Jesus was invited to a wedding with his disciples, his mother and his siblings. They run out of wine before the celebration is over, which is a huge embarrassment in that day. So, Mary, Jesus’ mother, comes to Jesus in full confidence and says they are out of wine. Jesus responds basically by saying, “What do you want me to do about it? My time has not yet come.” Then she turns to the servants and she says to them, “Do whatever he tells you to do.” This is the first sentence that jumped out at me and as I’m reading this and hearing this message a thought begins forming and taking shape in my mind and heart. Later, the pastor confirmed the message God was forming in my heart by saying almost the exact same thing I was thinking. Two powerful sentences in this passage shaped my understanding and encouraged my heart. The first one: “Do whatever he tells you to do.” This sentence speaks to simple obedience even when it doesn’t make sense or your unsure of your ability. It’s obedience in the face of uncertainty. Wherever you are right now, if you’re afraid of moving forward because you’re unsure of your abilities or insecure in your calling hear this one simple command: “Do whatever he tells you to do.” Even if it doesn’t make sense. Even if it’s scary. Even if it’s silly. Do whatever he tells you to do. Jesus Wills It Next Jesus commands the servants to fill six large water jars used for the purification ritual with water. Now, this is a very strange request because they were out of wine and I’m sure the servants are wondering how this is going to help solve that problem. But the servants do what Jesus tells them to do; they go and it says they filled the jars to the brim. Think about this for a minute, Jesus had not touched the water. He had not spoken to the water. He had not touched the containers or lifted a finger to participate in this miracle. The only thing he has done is to command the servants to obey a simple request to fill the containers with water, so they obey. Then Jesus asked them to do another very strange thing he asked them to take some of the water to the master of the banquet. Now we don’t know at what point the water was turned into a wine. We do know the servant’s witnessed this but we don’t know at what point they saw this happen. What if it wasn’t yet? What if they were like, “You want us to do what? You want us to take a cup of water to the master of the banquet and ask him to taste it??” Can you imagine how scary and silly that would have sounded to them? But they obey the command: “Do whatever he tells you to do.” They took the cup to the master of the banquet, and something amazing happens. Jesus turns the water into wine without touching it without speaking to it. He simply wills it to happen. This is huge! Jesus Saves the Best for Last The master took one taste and was astonished that they would save the best for last. This is the second sentence that impacted me and shaped my understanding. “You have kept the good wine until the end!” Normally they would give the guests the cheap wine after they were a little tipsy, but the master was amazed that they kept the good wine until now. Don’t miss this. Jesus does his best work with your obedience. It’s not about your ability or calling or gifts; it’s about his will and his glory. He saves the best for last. The servants did exactly what Jesus told them to do and they witnessed a miracle. They obeyed and Jesus willed it to happen. It wasn’t because of their amazing abilities or gift-ings; it was because Jesus willed it to happen. Step Out with Full Confidence in Jesus In your moment of uncertainty, this is what Jesus is asking of you. If you are stuck right now and not moving forward in that thing you want to do, whatever it is — do whatever he tells you to do. No matter how silly it sounds. No matter how scary it is. Do whatever he tells you to do with full confidence in him and if it’s his will, he will WILL it to happen for his own glory. The result is up to him and our job is simply to obey. It’s not about your gifts. It’s not about your calling. It’s about his will and his glory because at the end of this passage, it says in this miracle Jesus manifested his glory and the disciples believed. That’s what it’s all about. He wills it to happen. He turns your water — whatever that may be right now — into wine simply because of your act of obedience and if it is in line with his will, he WILLS it to happen and the results are to glorify him. He receives all the glory because it’s not about your ability. It’s not about your gifts. It’s not about your calling, it’s about his will and his glory. Trust him. Have full confidence in him his ability to WILL it to happen without a word just simply through your obedience and trust in him according to his will and for his glory. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

    7 min
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About

Empowering You with Faith-Based Guidance to Overcome Life's Challenges and Help Reclaim the Confidence God Intends for You https://rootedwithrachelb.wixsite.com/rooted rootedwithrachel.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Fresh joy for your journey.
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    107
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rachel Bochat
  • Show Website
    Rooted with Rachel