A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.
For the choir director; upon [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
22 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
[b]Far from my deliverance are the words of my [c]groaning.
2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but [d]I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
O You who [e]are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You delivered them.
5 To You they cried out and were delivered;
In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.6 But I am a worm and not a man,
A reproach of men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me [g]sneer at me;
They [h]separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,
8 “[i]Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon You I was cast from [j]birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
It’s difficult to read this passage without thinking of the death of Jesus, where he uttered exactly the words in verse 1, and his accusers did precisely what David’s enemies did in vv. 7-8. Yet that is precisely what they both did. That is, when they felt forsaken, like all hope was dead, they committed themselves to God.
There are times when we don’t understand God’s plan, and it seems the heavens are shut, and our prayers are going unheard. It should not surprise us that the enemies of God lack this understanding even more. They may mock, and make faces, and shake their heads in disbelief.
Yet God is the one who delights in us. He brought us forth from the womb, and we have been “cast” in his hands since the day we were born. Though we feel forsaken, there is nothing that can separate us from strong love, and we are never alone. So if you’re in that boat today, lift up your head, commit yourself to God’s care once more. Many have trusted in Him, and “they were not disappointed”. His rescue is here, for all time, and for all people.