Psalm 22
When the clouds break, it doesn’t mean the storm never came—it means the light has won.
Psalm 22 opens with a cry of abandonment that seems to echo endlessly through the ages, ultimately finding its fulfillment in the mouth of Christ on the cross. David, though innocent in the immediate circumstance, is overwhelmed by suffering and isolation. He is mocked, physically broken, and emotionally devastated—yet the psalm never spirals into despair. Instead, it rises in crescendo toward praise.
David cries out to a God who seems absent, even though he recalls the deliverance of others in generations past. He is tormented not only by his enemies but also by his own wrestling heart—confused by God's past faithfulness and His seeming present silence. He is scorned, emaciated, surrounded by enemies who tear at him like beasts. Yet, in faith, David turns again and again to the One who has always sustained him—from the womb to this moment of agony.
Ultimately, David’s anguish is not the end of the story. The final verses resound with confidence that God will act. Praise will come. Nations will remember. The afflicted will be satisfied. Through David’s suffering—and prophetically, through Christ’s suffering—redemption flows out, not just to Israel, but to the ends of the earth. What began with “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” ends with a declaration: “He has done it.”
Journal Entry – In the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
You were forsaken so that no one who comes through You would ever be. Though You were surrounded by mockers, pierced by hatred, and drained to the dust of death, You did not cry out in vain. In Your anguish You trusted. In Your thirst You fulfilled righteousness. In Your nakedness You clothed others with life.
Though bulls encircled You and dogs snarled around You, I did not leave You in the grave. I did not despise Your affliction nor hide My face. I heard You. I delivered You.
From the ends of the earth they will remember and turn to You. The poor will eat and be satisfied, and those who seek Me through You will praise Me forever. Nations and unborn generations will declare what I have done, for kingship belongs to Me, and I rule over all.
The cry of suffering became a song of salvation. From Your pierced hands flows eternal life. From Your final breath came the wind that carries praise to every people, tribe, and tongue.
Scripture woven throughout from Psalm 22:1–31; John 19:28, 34; Matthew 27:35–46; Galatians 3:14,16
A Real-Life Analogy
You’ve probably had a moment where you were stuck in traffic in a heavy rainstorm. The windshield wipers couldn't keep up, visibility was near zero, and you felt completely at the mercy of the elements. But then, you crested a hill, and the rain abruptly stopped. The clouds broke. Light poured in. That moment of sudden clarity doesn't erase the storm you came through—but it changes your perspective. That’s what David experiences in this psalm. And it’s what the cross reveals: even when everything feels flooded in chaos, light will break through—not by our effort, but because God has already “done it.”
Prayer – In My Voice
Father, thank You that Christ entered into the very heart of abandonment so that I would never be alone. Thank You that what began as anguish was transformed into an anthem of praise. When storms obscure my vision, I choose to trust the One who cried out and yet never lost faith. You are faithful through every cry, every silence, every groan. And I rest tonight knowing that Your redemption is already complete—poured out, not only for me, but for the nations. I am Yours. And that is enough.