Psalm 22

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 22

The Kingdom is the Lord's, and He Rules over the Nations

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"
Psalm 22:1-8, NKJV

Psalm 22 is one of the Messianic Psalms because it expresses the suffering of Christ, the Son of David, dying at the hands of wicked men. Keep in mind that this Psalm was written by David centuries before the suffering of Christ on the cross for our sins. You will find allusions and sometimes the exact words repeated in Matthew, John, and Hebrews.

We can go to Christ for help with the confidence of knowing He truly understands our suffering and grief because He, too, experienced it. Truthfully, He is the ONLY one we can go to for help. His suffering was so much more that we will ever be called to bear because, for a short time, he experienced the total abandonment of God, which true believers will never have to experience.

We think of eternal suffering and pain in Hell, but even worse than that will be the eternal separation from God. Think of everything in our world that is blessed by God's presence. Even in places of greatest evil, God plants some true Saints to show His glorious light; but that shall not be so in the total darkness and despair of Hell. The ungodly will cry out to God for help, but no one will answer them.

Today, pray that God will grant you the faith to trust Him regardless of your circumstances, knowing that Christ understands our suffering and is always there to intercede for us.

Next: Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd

More Devotions on the 22nd Psalm from my blog, Daily Bible Devotions

Where Are You God?, Verses 1-5

Rejection, Verses 6-11

God's Word, Verses 12-21

Glorify Him, Verses 22-24

All Shall Worship, Verses 25-28

The Bigger Picture, Verses 29-31