Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?
We have two suffering saints in our little church undergoing great pain from surgery. One of them, in the midst of her pain, refused to complain when she remembered the suffering felt by Jesus on the cross. What a lesson that teaches us! This psalm recalls that suffering for us. There is even a similar cry to that of Jesus from Psalm 22:1, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” This alone is comforting to us that we can cry out to God like the psalmist and the Savior. It does not mean we are faithless when we cry out to him but the opposite as we trust him as our refuge for our vindication.
It is only because of the suffering of Jesus that God vindicates us, defends us, and does not reject us. It is only by the cross that we can see what God intends in suffering. In the case of Jesus, it is to bring salvation to his chosen people. In the case of you and me, it is to cause us to cry out aloud to him in prayer. Let us do that today with our suffering and sorrows. Lay your burdens at the foot of the cross today so the one who knows true suffering can teach us through pain.
Dear Lord, thank you for the pain that leads us to your cross and teaches us how much you love us and suffered for us. May our suffering teach us today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church