Psalm 22:9 (NIV)

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

An amazing confession and profession by David in the time of huge anguish and struggle in psalm 22, the like of which is unparalleled. But in this verse it captured such intimate moment with the Lord and him, which should be modeled and caught by us all, and that’s the thesis of this article. No one can express as fluently, captured the nuances like David in his deep heart emotions, feelings, passions and everything that is within him. I think that’s the way we should aim towards in life. Because that’s huge just by the way he goes back to his mother’s womb, and God has made him trust in him, and that’s an amazing connection. That verse comes after the 6 verses of tremendous anguish (that’s why reading in context is incredibly important), and he’s like debating with his own feelings.

God made him trust in the Lord at birth

And that’s exactly what we should do especially when we are downcast due to circumstances or whatever reasons, that our eyes should focus on the Lord and no one else. But David takes us even a step further that his usual style to focus on the Lord. This is the only place in psalms or the whole bible where David brings himself to connect with God at the point of birth when he’s brought out of his mothers womb. He acknowledges and confesses that even at his mother’s breast, God made him trust in the Lord. That’s a beautiful word or translation right here “made”. That speaks of the sovereign Lord, nothing to do with our will power. A baby at his or her mothers breasts will have no will power to make decision apart from crying due to hunger. But to trust in God as a baby breast feeding at his or her mother’s breasts? Can you imagine the contrast? David has brought out a huge deep contrast of self will power and God’s sovereign move. Therefore we can draw conclusion that our putting our faith in Christ is totally a move of God in our hearts that caused us to put out faith in God.

Ephesians 1:4-5 (NIV) 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

Our trusting in God was never initiated by ourselves, but a move by the Spirit of God in our souls, spirits. And that’s beautiful. God gets all the glory and we get the beautiful submission and trust in God absolutely and with total reliance on Christ and Christ alone and nothing else.

Timing

But there is another aspect I want to bring out, and that’s the timing and intimacy. David goes back all the way to the point of birth. Our trust in God didn’t start at the age of 15, in my case, when I confessed and publicly put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior, but rather it has started even from birth, and we just didn’t know better. It never manifested itself, but that seed has been born within us. I know for a fact, there is a restlessness, earnestness within me stirring in my heart during my backsliding days in Leicester, England in college days, the first year. A longing that only God can fill. I can’t explain in details what seed of trust has been birthed from birth, but I can say that that’s predestination and total sovereignty of God, even before I was born, in all eternity, my name has been crafted into the book of eternal life in heaven. Isn’t that theologically correct?

Intimacy

Third thing is the intimacy of David with God. For all Christians, who disdain expression of emotions in worship and ecclesiology expressions, you are acting with stiff upper lips like the English man culturally. Having studied in England for high school and university, I know what that is. But God desires a free flow of expressions of love, intimacy with him in public worship and discourse. Look at David, he’s not ashamed to call out when he was a baby at his mother’s breasts, God has made him trust in him. He is not shamed of using the words of the breasts of his mother. Look at Songs of songs, God used Solomon to use even more intimate words like a physiological connection between a man and a woman. A word here for progressive Christianity here: Your theology of same sex love and intimacy and sexual ,relationship doesn’t fly. Songs of songs is all about a man and a woman, a woman longing for his lover, and the man looking for his beloved, a woman. The expression of intimacy emotions is well expressed in Pentecostal church services if done in a proper way, let me qualify. So all reformed churches should stop any disdain toward dancing, raising of hands, and saying hallelujah in worship services, and learn from David.

Amen and amen, blessed be the Lord our God.