You, O LORD, Be Not Far Off

You, O LORD, Be Not Far Off
Words of Faith 4-22-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 15
[33] At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. [34] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"‑‑which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

What was on the heart of Jesus as He prepared to breathe His last breaths in this earthly life and ministry? We get a good hint from the Scripture that He recited aloud: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is the opening line of Psalm 22. Let's look at a couple of parts of it.
Psalm 22 [1] My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? [2] O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. [3] Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. [4] In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. [5] They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
The Psalm is not about despair. It is about trusting God even when despair would have been easy. But this Psalm also vividly describes the Crucifixion itself, penned by David centuries before Crucifixion was a common practice.
Psalm 22 [12] Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. [13] Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. [14] I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. [15] My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. [16] Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. [17] I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. [18] They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
There is such hope that the Lord has NOT forsaken but is there!
Psalm 22 [19] But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. [20] Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. [21] Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
Have you felt forsaken? Forgotten by God?

Here is the truth-- You, O Lord, be not far off. You are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.