My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

So today was a good day, the day before was good, and the day before that was good. I've been having the best time lately. Sure, there are bumps along the road, but my goodness, things are much different than they used to be. I realized that tonight.

I got on to my sister about something tonight. Not out of the ordinary; she often does something bad and I'll get on to her for it. Well, tonight something different happened. After she stomped off to her room, mom went in there to talk to her. Turns out, she was crying. She thought that I didn't like her and just spilled. Mom came and talked to me and asked me to talk to her. I was a little aggravated with her, I must admit, because I really didn't do anything that was that big of a deal and she got Mom in on it. But once I was talking to her, things calmed down. I believe God helped me in that situation, because I was about to lay it on her thick, but I didn't.

Well, my youth pastor had us read Psalm 22 this week for homework, so I decided to do that tonight with Laurel. Here it is:

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. ^a]">

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.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷ All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.

¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

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.

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.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you^e]"> will I fulfill my vows.

²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.

³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.

³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

I read it out of my Bible. I read it a while ago, so I already had a ton of verses underlined. But for some reason, I had one verse in particular underlined, and it was "Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help."

I found it interesting how I had this particular verse underlined. This is how I felt. I was not fully relying on God, but rather other people, so this was where I was at. I was in trouble, so to speak, and I felt there was no one there to help.

It's amazing how much God has blessed me. I don't deserve a speck of it, yet here I am, living in an amazing way. God is far too good and I couldn't be any happier about it. I am rich. In wealth and in spirit. He gives me more than I could possibly ever earn, for He has given Jesus to me. Christ lives in me. I am rotten and no good. All the goodness that I do is from the Lord only. I don't do any of it on my own. I'm not a robot, I'm not a puppet on a string. I make choices and decisions. But so does God, and He is using me and I am ever so grateful.

I decided to and did expect a lot out of 2009 and by God's providence, it has exceeded expectations. Thank You. Forever and ever more.