Gospel Reflections #1175: It's okay to just cry

Psalm 22:1 ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?’

This is a cry of anguish—one in which deep despair and trust in God intertwine—which is regarded as particularly significant within the Old Testament.

This verse is also widely known as the words cried out by Jesus Christ on the cross, as recorded later in the New Testament.

Surrounded by enemies and facing mortal danger and fierce mockery, David was confronted with God’s silence.

Even as believers, we may at times experience such despair in the midst of overwhelming suffering that we feel ‘forsaken by God’.

It is noteworthy that, even whilst feeling forsaken, David calls upon God as ‘my God, my God’.

It is precisely because the relationship has not been severed that this intense plea is possible.

Psalm 22 does not end with this single verse of desperate cry.

Whilst the first half (verses 1–22) is filled with suffering and lament, as it moves into the second half (verses 23–31), the tone shifts dramatically to one of gratitude and magnificent praise to God.

David, too, prayed the first verse in full knowledge of the psalm’s conclusion (God’s salvation and victory); underlying this cry is the conviction that ‘even if it feels as though I have been forsaken now, God will surely hear my prayer and grant me victory in the end’.

Even when we cry out, ‘Why?’, God is right there beside us.

Moreover, our cry of ‘Why?’ is a cry for help that stems from our continued longing for God.

By crying out about the anxiety, fear, doubt, turmoil and weakness in our hearts, we lift the veil that stands between us and God.

Our God is the One who carries us on His shoulders when we are at our most weary.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.