Closer Day 1 – Ps. 22:1-8
Read: Psalm 22:1-8
22 To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
Reflect
Have you ever felt alone? Have the circumstances of this life weighed so heavy on you that you see no way forward? Have you ever felt like the whole world was against you? You have likely experienced some or all of these emotions at some point. You may be feeling them right now. But what are we to do when these feelings and emotions weigh heavily on us? We need to cry out to God; we need to lament.
What does it mean to lament? One author describes it this way, “Lament, meaning a crying out of the soul, creates a pathway between the Already and the Not Yet. Lament minds the gap between current hopelessness and coming hope. Lament anticipates new creation but also acknowledges the painful reality of now. Lament helps us hold onto God’s goodness while battling evil’s evil at the same time.” Too often, we tell ourselves that we cannot feel what we feel because we have hope in Jesus. While our hope is in Jesus, we must not ignore the hurt and pain we feel in this life. It is okay to feel, to hurt, and to grieve, so we cry out to the only one who can help. Would it surprise you that almost half of the Psalms are psalms of lament? There is an entire book of the Bible titled Lamentations. God wants us to cry out to Him. What is stopping you?
It should bring some comfort to know that Jesus knows how we feel, not just because He is God and knows all things, but because He experienced the pain and anguish in this psalm. He quoted verse one while on the cross during His crucifixion (Matt. 27:46). Cry out to Him today! He knows your pain and cares deeply for you. Acknowledge your painful reality, but look forward to our coming hope in our Lord and Savior.
Prayer:
Lord, remind me of your words. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lam. 3:22-26)