May Your Heart Live Forever!

The Blessing That Jesus Wants You to Hear

(I NEED YOUR HELP FOR THREE SECONDS. READ TO THE END AND THEN TAKE A LOOK AT FOUR BOOK COVERS. ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS. BE BLESSED.

May Your Heart Live Forever

Psalm 22 is not for the casual observer. It is for those willing to listen deeply, to wrestle with suffering, to think our Savior’s hours, to give thanks to Him and to sit in the shadow of the cross until something sacred breaks through.

And I believe something has broken through. And wait until you read today’s verses. They are radiant with promise.

Before you read any further when you come to the text below, say it slowly, out loud. Whisper it or speak it softly, but move your lips and say it as a prayer. It will help you understand what is happening because it can be confusing.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
—Psalm 22:25-6

Breaking the Fourth Wall

I don’t blame you if the meaning didn’t pop out quickly. It is confusing. Who is speaking and who are they talking to? Let’s parse it out.

Jesus is speaking the words of King David and David and Jesus are speaking about the people in the congregation who seek God.

Here is a paraphrase:

“My praise for You, O God, will be shared publicly in the large gathering of Your worshipers. I will keep the promises I made to You in front of everyone who honors You.

Those who are suffering will have more than enough to eat, and everyone who seeks the Lord will worship Him with joy.

But then the Psalmist does something strange. Very strange. I have never seen it before. And it’s wonderful. The speaker has been talking to God. He has been speaking about the people who are seeking God.

But then, in the last line, he breaks form and speaks directly to the people themselves.

He says,

“You-all of you seeking God and waiting for some hint or notion of Him—hey you! “May your hearts be full of life forever!”

In theater and film, this is called “breaking the fourth wall.” It happens when a character in the drama turns away from the action and directly addresses the audience, stepping outside the normal bounds of the narrative.

The psalmist was narrating what will happen among the worshipers—describing them in the third person—and then suddenly turns and speaks to them directly:

“May your hearts live forever!”

It’s like he can’t help himself—he steps out of the flow of the poem and delivers a heartfelt blessing to those who have been rescued, those who are seeking God. It’s personal, emotional, and direct—just like breaking the fourth wall in a well-done play or film.

This is part of what gives this psalm its power—it draws us into the story not just as observers, but as participants.

Blessings Abounding to You

In other words, Jesus is not merely quoting poetry on the cross. He is offering blessing. Even in His dying, He was not thinking of His pain alone—but of your joy. Your wholeness. Your hunger finally being fed.

He made a vow to bring sons and daughters home. And He fulfilled it. Through blood, through agony, through the silence of death—He fulfilled it. And now He offers this feast to you.

“The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied.” Do you feel afflicted? Empty? Tired from the journey? You are not forgotten. You are invited. Jesus, in His final breath, envisioned you at His table, satisfied and filled.

This is not symbolic comfort. This is real food for the soul.
The table is set.
The bread is broken.
The invitation stands.

There is only one thing remaining: you must come!

Biological Believer: The Fine Print

If there is any fine print in the Christian faith, it is right here. No relationship with God can be established through blood, biology, nationality, race, color, socio-economic status, or any other means.

No one is a Christian by birth; it is only through personal choice that one can have a relationship with God. Yours.

Further, God does not need to make a choice about you. He already has. That means the only choice left is the one YOU need to make. The choice to enter into a full relationship with God is yours—100% yours.

And the Good News is that if you seek Him, you will find Him. “Those who seek him shall praise the Lord!” Seeking is not a game; it is not a spiritual scavenger hunt. God is not hiding. Christopher Smart once wrote:

Where ask is have, 
where seek is find, 
Where knock is open wide.

That is the heartbeat of Psalm 22. If you are seeking Him, you will find Him. And when you find Him, praise will rise—not from pressure, but from joy.

If you’ve felt the psalm stirring something in you, that’s not just emotion. That’s the Spirit. That’s the Father saying to you, “Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

May Your Heart Live Forever!

Grace and peace,

David Roseberry ☩
The Anglican

Can You Help Me?

I am doing a quick eight-day series in Holy Week beginning on Sunday (Palm Sunday). I am rewriting the text of a short book—like a personal guide book— I wrote a year ago.

I’ll have the e-book ready tomorrow! Maybe today if I finish my editing. And perhaps the Amazon genies will approve the paper version too.

Please review these four options and then take the poll.

My title is “Eight Days That Changed The World: And Day by Day Journey Through the Final Week of Jesus Life.”

Refer to them as (left to right) A- Sunset B- Misty C. Red/Gold D. Street View

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The Anglican is the Substack newsletter for LeaderWorks, where I share insights, encouragement, and practical tools for clergy and lay Christians. I’m also an author of over a dozen books available on Amazon.

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