From Lament to Triumph
Read Psalm 22
God of perpetual newness, there is no suffering in you that is truly hopeless. As followers of you, we are slaves of hope. Yes, we may feel like we are hopeless and you are gracious to hear our prayers and hold us close. But in you, the more real our suffering becomes, the more immanent your victory (and thus our victory) becomes. However the song may begin, whether with praise or lament, it ends in your victory.
Because the right to rule
belongs to you, LORD. You rule all nations.
Indeed, all the earth’s powerful
will worship you;
all who are descending to the dust
will kneel before you;
my being also lives for you.
Future descendants will serve you;
generations to come will be told
about you.
They will proclaim your righteousness
to those not yet born,
telling them what you have done.
We can cry to you from our pain, even from our crosses. We can cry out our songs of lament--hurl our accusations of injustice and pose our most penetrating questions to you--and you will always finish the song for us. You will always wipe away every tear...
for it...is.....finished!
We pray in the name of the one who cries with us, the one who finishes the songs of lament, as real as they are, with songs of triumph and praise. Our strength in weakness, Jesus Christ. Amen.
God of perpetual newness, there is no suffering in you that is truly hopeless. As followers of you, we are slaves of hope. Yes, we may feel like we are hopeless and you are gracious to hear our prayers and hold us close. But in you, the more real our suffering becomes, the more immanent your victory (and thus our victory) becomes. However the song may begin, whether with praise or lament, it ends in your victory.
Because the right to rule
belongs to you, LORD. You rule all nations.
Indeed, all the earth’s powerful
will worship you;
all who are descending to the dust
will kneel before you;
my being also lives for you.
Future descendants will serve you;
generations to come will be told
about you.
They will proclaim your righteousness
to those not yet born,
telling them what you have done.We can cry to you from our pain, even from our crosses. We can cry out our songs of lament--hurl our accusations of injustice and pose our most penetrating questions to you--and you will always finish the song for us. You will always wipe away every tear...
for it...is.....finished!
We pray in the name of the one who cries with us, the one who finishes the songs of lament, as real as they are, with songs of triumph and praise. Our strength in weakness, Jesus Christ. Amen.