Morning Pages: Psalm 22
Psalm 22 is holy ground. On the micro level, it is another psalm of lament by David. But on the macro level, this psalm is intimately connected to Jesus' crucifixion—with Jesus himself quoting this psalm from the cross and the NT writers referencing this psalm over 20 times. So to fully experience the depth and richness of this psalm, we need to explore it from multiple perspectives, which means I will handle it a little differently than previous ones. So you may want to read Psalm 22 in your Bible before continuing. (Be sure to read to the end as I've added a new interactive segment to help you engage and move toward wholeheartedness.)
In our journey through the psalms, we've been able to bear witness to how much David suffered in his life. Even though he was God's chosen King, appointed to lead Israel, his life was far from easy. He was pursued and threatened by his enemies, betrayed by those closest to him, and faced the constant threat of death and destruction by other nations.
Throughout this specific psalm, David uses visceral language to describe his dire circumstances:
—scorned by humanity (v. 6)
—despised by the people (v. 6)
—mocked by all who see him (v. 7)
—faced with trouble with no one to help (v. 11)
—surrounded by those bent on harming him (v. 12, 16)
In some psalms of lament, David expresses his confidence in the Lord's presence and power to deliver him—a confidence which emboldens him, even leading him to mock his enemies. But this is not one of those psalms. This psalm originates from a bereft soul—one cut off from the source of life. He longs for comfort and assurance from the Lord, which is evident from the first verse,
Vs. 1-2 "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest."
David feels forsaken by the Lord. To forsake someone or something is to renounce it, to turn away from it entirely. And here David senses the Lord has abandoned him, turning away from rather than toward him in his time of need. Though David groans day and night to the Lord, there is no comfort, rest, or indication that God is listening or drawing near.
Perhaps you've felt that before? I have. Many of us have experienced those seasons of life when the comforts of God's presence and the assurance that he is still with and for you have all but vanished, seasons when the darkness descends, and it seems the veil will never lift—that you'll never see light, feel hope, and know rest.
To suffer in this life is hard enough, but to suffer and feel like God is absent and offers no consolation is far worse. There’s much we can endure when we feel the presence of the Lord is with us. But when we feel his absence, when we can’t see his hand at work, when we don’t hear any guidance from him, our hearts grow faint, which is precisely what David experiences,
Vs. 14-15 “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.”
His physical strength fails him, and his spirit is faint. This is spiritual desolation. He has nothing to draw on. He is completely and utterly empty.
What comforts me in this psalm is that a person like David—someone the Lord describes as “a man after his own heart,” who the Lord used to accomplish great things and who had many supernatural moments with the Lord—can still experience such feelings of abandonment, desolation, and spiritual wrestling. Too often, we turn the men and women of Scripture into spiritual giants as if they never struggled, were always faithful, or always knew the presence of the Lord in remarkable ways. But David's words remind us that our spiritual journey with the Lord includes wrestling—wondering what the Lord is doing and if he has forgotten or abandoned us.
David doesn’t deny, minimize, or hide his confusion and despair; instead, he records his struggles publicly in the form of a psalm, a song to be sung by the congregation—not only providing us with a reminder that physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles are all part of the life of faith but also with a call to express our struggles within the community of faith.
It doesn't always feel safe to talk about our fears, failings, and fragilities within the church. Doing so exposes us to potential rejection, harshness, minimizing our struggles, or even rebuke over our fragility and lack of faith. And yet, in spite of its shadow side, the church is a gift God has provided us and the vessel through which he is continuing his redemptive work. And, as a friend of mine often says, God often uses the church to heal wounds from the church.
While David fully acknowledges his reality, he also holds onto a greater truth —no matter how weak his grasp,
Vs. 3-5 “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.”
In these moments of wondering if God has abandoned him, David does three things to steady himself: he holds on to the trustworthiness of God, he reminds himself of God's past faithfulness in delivering his ancestors, and he preaches that truth to himself, reminding himself that his faith in Yahweh will not ultimately end in his shame.
Then in vs. 19-21, he petitions the Lord:
“But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!”
No matter how forgotten or abandoned David feels or how faint his faith is, he turns to the Lord because he knows where his help comes from. And then, in verse 22, he turns to praise:
Vs. 22-24 "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him."
David intentionally commits to praising the Lord before receiving any comfort or rescue. He not only makes a personal commitment to praise Yahweh, but he also calls all of Israel to praise the Lord. And he once again expresses his confidence in the Lord's faithfulness and goodness despite his feelings.
Then in vs. 27-31, David concludes:
“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.”
David glorifies and honors the Lord in a futuristic sense, acknowledging that though his present reality feels like the Lord isn’t at work, he believes a day will come when all will see clearly what the Lord has done throughout eternity and all the families of the nations will worship and say that the Lord has done it!
If we stopped here, this psalm would still be rich and applicable to our lives. But there is a more beautiful and life-giving truth to be mined here. David's psalm is messianic—foreshadowing and paralleling Jesus' crucifixion. Some of the only recorded words Jesus spoke as he hung on the cross come from this psalm. So while every word in Scripture is holy and infused with life-giving truth, looking at this psalm through the lens of Christ ushers us into the throne room where we stand on sacred ground.
In this next section, we will re-read sections from Psalm 22 and then look at parallel Gospel accounts.
Of David in Psalm 22:6-8:
"I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” (emphasis mine)
Of Jesus in Mark 15:25-30:
"And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, 'The King of the Jews.' And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, 'Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!'" (emphasis mine)
And in Matthew 27:43:
"'He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (emphasis mine)
Again, of David in Psalm 22:11-13:
"Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion." (emphasis mine)
Of Jesus in Mark 15:6-15:
"Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, 'Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?' For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, 'Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?' And they cried out again, 'Crucify him.' And Pilate said to them, 'Why? What evil has he done?' But they shouted all the more, 'Crucify him.' So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." (emphasis mine)
Of David in Psalm 22:1-2,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." (emphasis mine)
Of Jesus in Mark 15:33-34:
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (emphasis mine)
Of David in Psalm 22:16-18:
"For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." (emphasis mine)
Of Jesus in Mark 15:24:
"And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take." (emphasis mine)
Of David in Psalm 22:14-15:
"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death." (emphasis mine)
And of Jesus in John 19:28-30:
"After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), 'I thirst.' A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (emphasis mine)
David's psalm foreshadows Jesus. Jesus is the one who:
—cried out but wasn’t answered (v. 2)
—was mocked, and people wagged their heads at (v. 8; Matthew 27:39, 43)
—whose hands and feet were pierced (v.16; Luke 24:39)
— who was encircled by evildoers (v.16; Matthew 27:27-41)
—whose garments were divided among them through the casting of lots (v.18; Matthew 27:35)
—to whom kingship over all the nations belongs (v. 28; Revelation 19:13,16)
—whose righteousness shall be proclaimed to the generations yet unborn (v. 30)
—whose victory has been accomplished (v. 31)
Psalm 22 tells the story of David's physical and spiritual suffering in a specific time and place. But God was telling another story through David—a cosmic story playing out behind the veil of the heavenly realms, outside of time and space. David felt abandoned, but God was working to provide a greater comfort, a greater hope, a greater rescue—not just for David but for future generations.
You may be experiencing real suffering and wonder where God is, what he is doing, or if he has abandoned you altogether. Times of wrestling are legitimate experiences in the life of faith. And, like David, we can and should lament—crying out to God with our fears and doubts. Turning to God with these questions does not indicate a lack of faith. Instead, it indicates one who believes God is who he says he is and can do something about the problem of suffering. It is an act of humble dependency when we turn to the only one who can provide the hope, healing, and freedom we so desperately seek.
But Psalm 22 also calls us to look beyond our current circumstances, reminding us that God is always doing something beyond what our eyes can see. So while the circumstances of our lives do affect us, they *might* not always be about us. Instead, God may be writing a truer, more hopeful story through your life that will benefit generations to come—pointing them toward the hope, healing, and freedom offered through Christ.
Our circumstances may threaten, and our spirits may grow faint, but Jesus is seated at the Father's right hand —reigning victorious over all things. Because Jesus was the one forsaken, we will never be. Because Jesus was the one crushed, we will never be. Because Jesus was the one who was victorious, all generations will proclaim that “He has done it.” Jesus is our strength when ours fails. Jesus is our hope when we have no more to draw from. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, when we feel lost, lonely, forgotten, and abandoned. Jesus has done it. This is our hope amid all that overwhelms us: Jesus' wounds are proof that God will not abandon us in our sin or our suffering!
EngageThe Scriptures:
Re-read Psalm 22 in your Bible.
How does David describe his current circumstances? What words does he use? What feelings does he express?
How does he hold the tension between his circumstances and God's character?
Explore Your Story:
In what areas of your life are you struggling and need to remind yourself that God is present and actively engaged?
When you experience prolonged seasons of suffering, what lies are you tempted to believe about God? About yourself? About your circumstances?
Encounter Jesus:
We often interpret God in light of our circumstances instead of interpreting our circumstances in light of God. In other words, we allow our circumstances to define who God is and how he acts rather than reminding ourselves that our circumstances do not define or determine God's character. How does viewing this record of David's suffering through the lens of Jesus' work on the cross change how you interpret your current circumstances or other times in your life when God felt absent?
Experience Hope, Healing, and Freedom:
Write a statement of truth you can repeat to yourself during prolonged suffering or when you feel like God has abandoned you. Make it something simple and easy to remember. (For example:
"Jesus' wounds are proof that God will not abandon me in my sin or my suffering." )
Use your truth statement as a breath prayer—taking long, deep breaths and repeating the phrase with each breath—to help you ground yourself in the hope, healing, and freedom of Christ in moments of anxiety or despair.
Until next week.
Love,
CC
Psalm 22, by Poor Bishop Hooper