Psalm 22: Forsaken by God?

Scripture:      Psalm 22, Matthew 27:45-50
Focus:           My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  ~Psalm 22:1

Commentary:  In Psalm 22, the psalmist takes a sudden turn from desperate cries for help to words of praise, trust and deliverance which is both surprising and disarming.  

In a beautiful way, Jesus expresses his faith in God and teaches us with this psalm even as he is dying on the cross.  I simply cannot imagine how difficult the last few days of Jesus’ life were for him as a human being.  Jesus felt abandoned not just by his friends but by God as well.  Well, perhaps that is the way he felt in his flesh but he also knew as the psalmist knew, and as we can know in faith, that even if we feel that God has abandoned us, the truth is that God is always with us.  

Jesus was steeped in the writings of the Hebrew Bible, and the Psalms were a constant part of the Jewish liturgy of worship. As Jesus cries out from the cross with these few words of emotional abandonment, he was expressing a deep and abiding trust in the Living God at the same time.  

Those who know the psalms understand he is also saying, “all the earth’s powerful will worship God, all who are descending to the dust will kneel before God; my being also lives for God.” (Psalm 22:29) Let it be so!

 

 

Reflection:  When we feel alone, lonely and abandoned by God in our distress, we may ask, “Where is God?” Have you ever prayed fervently and felt like God wasn’t listening?  How did that feel?  How do you feel about it now?  When Jesus cries out with Psalm 22 as he is dying, what does this teach you about God?

If music is a spiritual pathway for you, listen to Why Have You Forsaken Me? by J Brian Craig. (YouTube) Just like the psalm and the lives we live, this song is disarming in the interplay between feelings of abandonment and trust.

Breath Prayer for the Day:     
Breathing in … Living God   
Breathing out … I live for you