God’s Word tells us that He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)…
Read Psalm 22
What does that mean that God inhabits the praises of His people?
Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm of David presenting Jesus Christ as the Savior who laid down His life.
The psalm begins by portraying the rejection and abandonment Christ suffered on the cross (Psalm 22:1–2; cf. Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).
Yet, immediately, the suffering Messiah makes a strong declaration of trust in God:
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3, KJV).
As the bearer of humanity’s sins, Christ was destined to experience untold pain and anguish (Isaiah 53:4–6, 10; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
In the seemingly endless silence in which God does not answer—perhaps the worst moment of torment Christ would ever know—the Son reminds Himself of God’s sovereign position:
“Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3, ESV).
The word enthroned here describes the circumstance of sitting, remaining, or dwelling somewhere.
(The phrasing God inhabits the praise of His people comes from the King James Version of Psalm 22:3.)
When the Messiah declared, “God inhabits the praise of His people” in Psalm 22:3, He expressed His absolute trust in God.
No matter what was happening at that moment or how alone He felt, the Messiah knew that God was present and in control, ruling over His hour of greatest need (see 1 Peter 2:23).
God the Father had not abandoned Him. God was working out His sovereign plan, and the Messiah would soon be delivered (see Psalm 22:4–5).
Here’s just one example of how this truth should be applicable in our everyday life, if we would each day put on the mind of Christ…
“As she slipped and fell next to her car on an icy January morning, Aileen said aloud, “Praise the Lord!”
The woman stepping from the next car was surprised by the elderly woman’s words at a time that did not seem praiseworthy to her.
As they sought care for the resulting broken arm, Aileen shared her view of praise.
‘If I hadn’t praised God, I would probably have chastised myself for being so clumsy. Or I might have criticized the store management for not tending the parking lot better. I’m sure I would have felt more pain because I would have been angry and focused on myself. Praise somehow sets things right with God and with me.’ ”
(From the Franciscan Spirit Blog)
Praise works! We may never understand in this life how, but it does work wonders.
Clearly if God inhabits the praises of His people then the best way to get God involved with your circumstances is to praise Him in the midst of your circumstances.
SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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