Day 13: Psalm 22

I’m currently writing this on Good Friday, a day when you probably stopped and remembered the crucifixion of Jesus and the payment made for our sin.

At the same time, I can’t help but think about Psalm 22, the Psalm that Jesus quotes while He is hanging on the cross.

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

 Why are you so far from saving me,

 so far from my cries of anguish?

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

 by night, but I find no rest.

Psalm 22: 1-2

This Psalm is a cry of hope. It is what Israel had cried out for generations. There was desperation on Jesus’ lips when he said it. You probably feel some desperation right now too. This is certainly the most memorable Good Friday of our lifetime, and I would say a Good Friday/Easter weekend that should give us new perspective on the prayer of Jesus. For most, Good Friday has always been a holiday, but today it is a reality. We are in a desperate place. America is in a desperate place.

The Psalm ends with a prayer of hope. It says this:

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.

Psalm 22:27-28

The Psalm begins with a declaration of feeling. Forsaken. Abandoned. Alone. That is what Good Friday is. It ends with a declaration of what is true. God will have the last word. This reminds us to let our feelings have their place. I think it is interesting that Jesus doesn’t declare verses 27-28 from the cross.

At the same time, as you cry out to God, let us do it with the truth of who God is always in our minds. It’s verses 1-2 right now, but verses 27-28 are coming. It’s Friday… but Sunday is coming!

Jared