READ: Psalm 22 LISTEN: Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Psalm 22:1-2

Jesus makes his way to the cross, and his disciples are nowhere to be found. They scattered after his arrest, though each claimed they would never abandon him. Even worse, on the cross, the sky goes completely black—a symbol of the Father’s wrath. In anguish, Jesus prays from Psalm 22, “‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” (Mark 15:34). Abandoned and alone, Jesus breathes his last, bearing our sin and shame.

Jesus knows our pain and brokenness. This is a truth we need to remember at all times, especially when life is hard or painful. We have a God who is not aloof about our pain and suffering. Rather, God has entered our pain and bore the full weight of our sin and the wrath we deserve.

TODAY: Allow the cross to fuel greater trust in Christ. If we can trust Jesus to take care of our greatest problem through his suffering on the cross, then we can certainly trust him with the entirety of our lives and problems. When we experience pain and hardships, we can turn to Christ, knowing he is familiar with our pain and mightily at work in our grief. If you are experiencing challenging times right now, consider using Psalm 22 as a template for prayer. Consider especially these words from Psalm 22:11, “Do not be far from me, for trouble is near.”