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Psalm 22:1-5  
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

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. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Do you ever feel like God has abandoned you? David did. In today’s passage he asks the question directly, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” He felt like God was far away, far from his cries for help.

Do you ever feel like God has abandoned you? Jesus did. This is the psalm He prayed from the cross as He bore our sins in His body. The Father turned His back on the sin-bearing Sacrifice. God seemed far away, far from the Son’s painful cries of agony.

Do you ever feel like God has abandoned you? Like He is far away and will not get back in time to help. Have you ever cried out to God without receiving an answer? That’s where this psalm begins, but not where it ends. Even in the first few verses confidence returns. God is the Holy One. He has been trusted in the past and proven faithful. He has not forgotten you, forsaken you, or moved far away. Can you trust God? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Can you trust God? That is the question each one of us must answer.

Lord, help me to trust You even when it seems that You are far off. Help me to remain confident when it feels like I have been forsaken. Help me to keep my focus on You for proper perspective in the rollercoaster ride of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.