Psalm
22:1-2 My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my
groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am
not silent.
A psalm of
lament
This psalm contains the
anguished cries of David as a godly sufferer, victim of prolonged attacks by
his enemies. The opening verse is placed on the lips of Jesus as he hung on the
cross at Calvary. (Matthew 27:46) Both David and Jesus experienced the distance
between man and God.
There are times in our lives
when God seems so distant and non-existent. The world and our circumstances
seem to be falling in around us. The pressures of work, the demands of family
and the needs of friends compete for our waking hours. Add to this the schemes
of others to get one up on us and the world will seem dark and hostile on a
daily basis.
We know too, that God is
ever present in life. He is one prayer away from each of us. The unbeliever may
say there is no God when trials and suffering occur in their lives. The
Christian knows that God is there and that the suffering and trials reveal our
ever more starkly our need for Him. Hanging on the cross Jesus experienced
man’s alienation from God. The unbeliever has nothing left to hold on to. But
the Christian has a God who knows our suffering and pain. He sympathizes with
us and uses such suffering to mold us and to draw us to His purpose in life.
Nothing is in vain with Him. All of life has meaning and purpose.
God will never leave us nor
will He forsake us. As His children He will draw us to himself and comfort us
with the comfort only He can offer in our times of need. Praise Him all you
children of the Lord. He is worthy of your praise.
