MY GOD, MY GOD…

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew’s Gospel (27:46) records the most sorrowful words Jesus spoke during his life on earth. To read them is heartbreaking. Did he really feel abandoned and forgotten by his Father?

When we first read these words, we are shaken to the core. If the Father could abandon Jesus, his only beloved Son, in his final moments, then we, too, might be forgotten in our last moments on earth. Jesus was innocent, we are not. Therefore, it would seem just that the Father would leave us in our sins and let us die without any comfort or hope of eternal life.

If we say that God is love and He will never forget us, then how could He possibly leave us in our sins, wondering if we will have eternal life with Him and Jesus? We probably will not suffer a horrible death like Jesus did, but we all have to face death sometime in the future. Where is our hope if Jesus felt abandoned on the cross?

If we realize that Jesus was reciting Psalm 22 when he uttered these words of sorrow, we know that our hope lies in him. Jesus was praying to his Father! The first twenty-two verses describe the Messiah’s suffering at the hands of those depicted like wild animals tormenting him. Considering that this Psalm was written centuries before Jesus was on the cross, the description of the Messiah’s ordeal is chilling. How could the Psalmist have composed this Psalm without knowing Jesus and what he would suffer?

The animals in the Psalm are ferocious, eager to surround and bring down the Messiah. Reading these verses carefully, we see the Passion event the Gospels describe. If the Psalm stopped at verse 22, indeed this prayer would be one of someone helpless and alone.

However, note the change in verse 23 from a description of pain and suffering to one of reliance on the Lord. The Messiah “will proclaim” the name of the Lord and “praise” him. The following verses state “he has not spurned…did not turn his face away…he heard him.” Here is the hope Jesus had when he uttered his famous words of sorrow! His Father is not far away but very near. His Father hears his “cry.”

Like Jesus, we go through times when we feel very much alone. We wonder if we can get through the difficulties that come into our lives. We pray and our words are only sounds breathed into thin air. Where is my Lord? Why doesn’t he help me? Perhaps we should look again at Psalm 22:23—I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you…

We are to proclaim and praise our God. Even in the midst of events thought too great to bear, we are to tell others about God’s great love for us and praise Him as our hope. He hears our cry and will answer our prayer in the way that is best for each one of us. Don’t give in to despair. Pray the way our Savior prayed on the cross and rely on the goodness and love of God the Father.

Alma Maish