Psalm 22:  22-26    I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.   You who fear the Lord, praise him!  All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!  Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.  From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.  The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!

What is your life’s theme song?  What is the song of your ancestors that you are singing in your bones?  Do you even know your heritage? Is it a theme song of praise and blessings or a song of curses and broken promises.

While reflecting on Psalm 22 it God revealed that in times of feelings of abandonment and distress, it is important to recall your godly heritage as this is what will be what will carry you through those moments.  David’s feelings were so overwhelming that he appeared to find a familiar tune to express himself.  David penned the words of this song beginning with the famous lines “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”, as he declared that God is silent in the day and night.    It is when he honest enough to face his true feelings that he is able to recall the history lessons taught to him on his mother’s breast.  Lessons that speak to God’s holiness and faithfulness to the earlier generations:

“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.   In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.  To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame”.

At this point, David recognized that he is not of the stature of his ancestors compared to them he is but a worm hated and scorned and mocked by those who have rejected their godly heritage.  He pours out his troubles to God as the only source of help as he is surrounded by enemies epitomized as strong bulls, lions, dogs and wild oxen.  In ventilating his emotions he experiences the freshness of the Holy Spirit who reminds him that the God of his ancestors is the same God today as He was yesterday and will be the same tomorrow.  This same God is his God and will never leave him or forsake him.  God is his strength and will come quickly to help, rescue and deliver him from his enemies. 

This gave David the courage and everything he needed to face his fears and declare to his people that God is to be praised and that He is not hidden but listens to those who cry to him.  David reminds his people of their heritage; people who have come from loins of Jacob/Israel and  that God will do the same for them that He did for their forefathers.  They will not be despised or scorned by God but both the rich and poor will experience the blessings of God and worship and this must be declared to future generations.  David reminds them that this heritage that “HE has done it” must be passed on to generations yet unborn as those in the present have no power to keep themselves alive. Those generations passed down the message all the way to us centuries later.

This is David’s theme song of praise that God is the unbroken link between present and future generations.  Jesus Christ, from the line of David, has now fulfilled this link so that all of us can partake in these theme songs and lessons.  The theme song of praise and lessons learnt by David are ours to believe and sing in the present and to pass on to the next generations.   Are you ready to sing? 

PRAYER

Lord thank you that no matter how the circumstances seem dread, You are my God that will never leave me or forsake me.  Teach me to sing your theme song of praise in such a way that not just to the present generations are blessed but the future generations will declare “God Almighty in Jesus has done it”.