The Lord’s Messages
- 07/28/2025
The Lord’s Message: Summer of Psalms: Value in Suffering
Date: July 27, 2025
Where: Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference: Psalm 22This is a message which I have a hard time giving to each one of you this morning. I would love to tell you that if you give your heart to Jesus, your life would be free from pain and suffering. That is not to be in this life. In John 16:33, Jesus confirms to us that we will have pain and suffering in this world, but He also tells us that by believing in Him, we will have peace. How can we have peace when we suffer and is there any value in suffering?
Let us pray.
Suffering is part of this life. It is caused by a variety of sources. The results of those sources could be physical pain, emotional distress, or challenging life circumstances. The causes could be natural, the consequences of our own actions or choices, or the results of someone else’s actions and choices.
David begins this Psalm with “My God, my God, what have you forsaken me?” How many of us have cried out to God this same or similar plea? When we are in pain and suffering, we feel that God is so far from us. “Where are you God?” “Why am I suffering?” Continuing verse 1, “Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”
For some of us the suffering is not for a short period of time, but for many days, months or even years. David expresses this is verse 2, “O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.” David knew what is like to have your enemies chase you around to kill you. When Saul discovered that David had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, Saul hunted David between 7 to 13 years. Saul chased David all over the hill country of Israel to kill him. David could not even trust his friends, because they would tell Saul where to find him. In 1 Samuel 27: 1, finally David had no other recourse but to go to Israel’s enemy, the Philistines, to seek refuge with them.
In verses 3-5, it appears that David is reminding God about His faithfulness to the Israelites. The truth is, David is reminding himself of God’s faithfulness in the past and God’s faithfulness to David in the present. When we are going through long periods of suffering, we can easily start to think that God has abandoned us. We need a reminder that God is always with us. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of this in Hebrews 13:5. Jesus said in Matthew 28:20.
In verses 6-8, we suffer when people mock us for following Jesus. How many of you have ever had anyone say something negative to you, because you are going to church, praying to God, or even reading your Bible? This world is becoming anti-Christian. The mockery that we receive in the United States pales in comparison to the rest of the world. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary says “that more Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all the previous centuries combined. Christians are estimated to make up 80 percent of those who are persecuted for their religion. They have been killed in India, Vietnam, Iraq, Colombia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico, Egypt, Saudia Arabia, North Korea, Sri Lanka, China, and Indonesia.” When people mock us, we need to remember that they mocked Jesus also.
In verses 9-11, our faith in God began at birth. If we look back on our life, we find that God has been with us since we were conceived. Charles Spurgeon said this about our lives in faith, “The Forsaken One did not say, ‘Since I feel abandoned by God, I will abandon Him.’ He remained steadfast through the dark night of the soul, and still made appeal to the God who cared for him since birth. The child now fighting the great battle of his life, uses the mercy of his nativity as an argument with God. Faith finds weapons everywhere. He who wills to believe shall never lack reasons for believing.” In Psalm 139:13-16, David says that God knew him from conception. Our faith starts at birth and continues to grow through our trials and struggles. When we are dealing with suffering, we have no one to turn to, only God. God is the only one who gives us the strength to endure the suffering.
David says in verses 19-21 that only God can save him. God is the only one who eases David’s suffering. He cries out to the Lord to save him. We need to direct our prayers to God. God will not abandon us. If we put our faith in God, even though we suffer, God will deliver. Will God deliver us from suffering? The answer is yes. This is confirmed in verse 24.
Another person that was well acquainted with suffering was Job. Job kept asking God why suffering is happening to him. If you remember, in one day Job lost his sons and daughters, his servants, and his animals. Later on, his health deteriorated to the point that his body was covered in painful boils. Job, in the end, realized that he could only put his faith and trust in God. Job says in Job 42:1-6.
At the end of this Psalm, David comes to realize the same thing. God hears all prayers, but God will not answer all prayers in the way that we think God should answer them. God’s timing is not our timing. God is faithful and God hears the cries of His people. God is always with us, even when we do not sense God’s presence. He will not abandon us.
The church is important when we are suffering. The community of believers is there to pray with us and to support us. Intercessory prayers are most important for us when we are suffering. People praying for us lifts our spirits and keep us connected to God. When we have been delivered from our suffering, we need to praise God. We declare praise to God in our congregation. God is worthy of our praise. David does exactly that in verses 22-23 and 25.
In verses 26-29, God will be victorious. All suffering will come to an end. A new kingdom will be established, Revelation 21:3-5.
In verses 30-31, the deliverance from suffering and the faithfulness of God will be told over and over again. This is so the next generations to come will know about this God who is faithful and delivers people from suffering.
This Psalm is known as the Psalm of the Cross. This is because this Psalm points to Jesus. Verses 16b-18, clearly point to Jesus being crucified on the cross for our sins. Jesus even quotes Psalm 22:1 in Matthew and Mark while He is nailed to the cross.
What is the value in suffering? It can be a tool for spiritual growth, increased dependence on God, and a deeper understanding of Christ’s sacrifice. It can also be a means of experiencing God’s comfort and peace, testing our faith, and having our lives conformed to Jesus. It can also be a means to move others to pray and have compassion for those that are suffering and when they experience suffering to remember to fully trust in God. According to
1 Peter 1:6-7, suffering is a way to groom our soul for eternity.
So, let us continue to read the Bible, live the Bible and be the Bible for others. Amen.