“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast. On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.” Psalm 22:1-11

“The 22nd psalm is a prophecy of the suffering and resurrection of Christ and a prophecy of the Gospel, which the entire world shall hear and receive. Beyond all other texts, it clearly shows Christ’s torment on the cross, that He was pierced hand and foot and His limbs stretched out so that His bones could have been counted. Nowhere in the other prophets can one find so clear a description. It is indeed one of the chief psalms. It belongs in the First Commandment, for it promises a new worship of God. It is in the First and Second Petitions.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

Psalm 22 begins with the most anguished cry in human history: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These are the words that Jesus spoke when at the depth of suffering on the cross. His suffering was beyond our knowing and understanding — his actions of giving himself up for all people unfathomable. But, understand, Jesus was not inventing his own words — he was repeating the words of a Psalm that were near and dear to him. As such, we too need to reflect on these words — knowing they come from the heart of Christ in a particular moment of suffering.

The psalm begins with a section dominated by the agonized prayer: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?” John Calvin once wrote that these words, though coming from the anguished lips of Christ, are far from being unique or rare for the believer — for many of us have had similar moments of anguish. “There is not one of the godly who does not daily experience in himself the same thing. According to the judgment of the flesh, he thinks he is cast off and forsaken by God, while yet he apprehends by faith the grace of God, which is hidden from the eye of sense and reason.” We must not think that living the Christian life is easy or that we will not daily have to bear the cross. But we also have the hope and faith that through Jesus Christ, we will receive grace, through faith — that comes to each through word and sacrament.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, Lamb of the Father’s own choosing, who offered Yourself a bloody sacrifice for our sins on the Place of Skulls, receive our thanks for Your love beyond measure. Let Your wounds be the solace of our hearts, and Your merits the ornaments of our souls in life and death, that, with Your perfected saints on high, we may forever sing Your praise.

Amen.

“Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16

“The 16th psalm is a prophecy of the suffering and resurrection of Christ, as the apostles themselves powerfully indicate (Acts 2:25 and 13:35). It clearly gives witness that Christ has discarded as idolatry the old Law with its sacrifices and worship, and has chosen other saints and another people to be His heirs. This psalm belongs to the First, Second, and Third Commandments, for it announces the new praise, work, Word, and worship that would come into the world in Christ, and the passing of the old worship. It is in the First and Second Petitions.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

The psalmist’s words “I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you” are words of pure trust and faith. They are words that show a true commitment to G-d. Any relationship that does not have real trust is a weak and shaky relationship. This is why we must be constantly be working and working on that relationship. The Psalmist says: “I keep the Lord always before me; because (the Lord) is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

We have all heard the saying “He or she is my right-hand man (woman).” Perhaps this Psalm is the origin of this idiom. When we keep the Lord as our “Right Hand companion”, as our wing man, then perhaps we will understand how much more we should rejoice and be glad. We must approach every season of our lives with a sense of humility and gratification. All that we have is evidence of G-d’s goodness. Instead of entitlement, we should live every day rejoicing and praising G-d for all the blessings we have.

PRAYER

Thanks be unto You, Lord Jesus, for Your bitter sufferings, Your shameful death, and Your joyous resurrection. Enlighten our eyes to see in You the way unto life. Uphold us by Your truth, so we may not fall into idolatry and false worship, and preserve us in the true faith unto eternal life. Amen.