Today's Scripture:

Psalm 22:23-31 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him— may your hearts live forever! 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, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. 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. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

Read: Reflect on a story in your life that pertains to this scripture.
Psalm 22:23-31 is part of a prayer from David. He is speaking to the descendants of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel. He is calling them to stand in the amazing power of God and honor Him. This part of the scripture is his rejoicing and thanksgiving that prayers have been answered by God and proclaims that future generations can rely on the promises of God.

Reflect: What is this scripture telling you during this season?
This part of Psalm 22 is a promise, not just to me, but to all of us, to all future generations. It reminds us that God is a promise keeper, a powerful God that hears our cries and answers, a God who should be praised throughout the generations. It is a promise that He will do it for us, like He did for our ancestors. Like you, reading this now, I have had times when I have called out to God in despair, asked God to heal sickness, relieve pain, or comfort me in hurt. David was crying out for this too, just like us, and in this case, like us, he waited a long time to receive that answer. But, God was faithful. He heard David's cries like He hears ours. He answered David and David writes in praise of God, and he reminds to to not forget the things God has done for us and will do again.

Respond: How is this scripture calling you to respond?
This scripture absolutely calls me to action. It calls all of us to action. It calls us to remember and to praise. We are to praise God, for He has not hid His face from us, He has seen and heard our prayers and He has answered them. That doesn't mean we get what we want. It means He is faithful to comfort us and answer us within His design and plan. The scripture calls us to remember the things that God has done and share those stories with future generations. We have to keep telling of His faithfulness so that all may come to know and turn their hearts to God. David declares that God's goodness will continue through the generations, but we are called to keep that going by telling those around us about the things God has done for us. We are to declare, "He has done it!" to everyone around us. We are to praise God with joy for all that He has done. God sent His son to die on the cross for our sins so that we would have a way. He left us with the Holy Spirit to guide us, God's Word to lead us, and Jesus' example to show us how to live. He has given us everything we need to keep this song of praise going for generations to come. So go with joy and praise, remember the things He has done and all that He will do!

About Johneice Haney:
I am currently Director of Children's Ministries at Grace Presbyterian Church and a long time covenant partner. I find so much joy in working with my team and the children here at Grace. We are so blessed to serve all children from Grace Presbyterian, Grace en espanol and Holy Nations congregations as well as Grace School in Children's Ministries. My goal is to keep being real with the kids, create discipleship in their hearts and help orient them to Jesus. If you know me, you know I find happiness in Jesus, Dr. Pepper, friends, and all things Disney.
I have attended Grace for more than 20 years and been a covenant partner for the last 20 years. I have worked in Children's Ministries at Grace many times in different roles over the years.