Psalm 22

Psalm 22 (NET) reads:

For the music director; according to the tune "Morning Doe;" a psalm of David.

My God, my God, why do you reject me?
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.

2 My God, I cry out during the day,
but you do not answer,
and during the night my prayers do not let up.

3 You are sovereign;
you sit as king over the worshiping community of Israel.

4 In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted in you and you rescued them.

5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed.

6 But I feel like a worm, not a man;
people insult me and despise me.

7 All who see me taunt me;
they mock me and shake their heads.

8 They say,
"Commit yourself to the LORD!
Let the LORD rescue him!
Let the LORD deliver him, for he delights in him."

9 Yes, you are the one who pulled me from the womb,
and made me feel secure on my mother's breasts.

10 I have been dependent on you since birth;
from the time I came out of my mother's womb you have been my God.

11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me.

12 Many bulls surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.

13 They get ready to devour me like a roaring lion that rips its prey.

14 My strength drains away like water;
all my bones are dislocated;
my courage is like wax;
it melts away inside me.

15 The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums.
You are making me descend into the grave.

16 Yes, wild dogs surround me--
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet to the ground.

17 I can count all my bones;
my enemies are gloating over me in triumph.

18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;
they are rolling dice for my garments.

19 But you, O LORD, do not remain far away!
You are my source of strength! Hurry and help me!

20 Deliver me from the sword!
Save my life from the paws of the wild dogs!

21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion,
and from the horns of the wild oxen!
You have answered me!

22 I will declare your name to my countrymen!
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!

23 You loyal followers of the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, worship him!
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him!

24 For he did not despise or shun the humble condition of the oppressed;
he did not ignore him;
when he cried out to him, he responded.

25 You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the LORD's loyal followers.

26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled!
Let those who seek his help praise the LORD!
May you experience lasting encouragement!

27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the LORD and turn to him!
Let all the nations worship you!

28 For the LORD is king and rules over the nations.

29 All of the robust people of the earth will join the celebration and worship;
all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives.

30 A whole generation will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord.

31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds;
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.

I love this psalm. You can't help but identify with the psalmist as you read the vivid imagery of his opponents pinning him to the ground like lions and mocking him. He cries out to God, "My God, my God, why do you reject me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. My God, I cry out during the day, but you do not answer, and during the night my prayers do not let up."

Have you been there?

The tone changes at the end as the Lord has answered his prayer. He writes, "You loyal followers of the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, worship him! All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! For he did not despise or shun the humble condition of the oppressed; he did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded."

It's amazing how brokenness and honesty before God--even brutal, scathing honesty--can result in praise and adoration. Before the psalmist could say, "All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! For he did not despise or shun the humble condition of the oppressed; he did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded," he had to be at a place where he said, "My God, my God, why do you reject me?"

No one likes that place. But we need it.

I like to journal my prayers. On one page I like to write about the things that really weigh heavy on my heart--fears about the future, frustrations about the present, regrets about the past--and on the other I like to write down ways in which God has answered those prayers. So, when I am at a place when I am asking, "My God, my God, why do you reject me?" I can see how He has delivered me in the past. It doesn't always lessen the pain, but it reminds me that God truly is in charge and that we are "not tossed about on the winds of chance," as Alistair Begg reminds us.