From Despair to Trust: Psalm 22 and the Cross

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When "Why Have You Forsaken Me?" Echoes in the Dark

David’s raw cry from the pit mirrors our own moments of divine silence. Like Jesus on the cross, we inherit the language of lament when God feels absent. This psalm gives permission to voice our anguish without sanitizing it, trusting that even unanswered prayers are heard. The cross proves God meets us in abandonment, turning our “why” into a bridge between despair and hope. [54:54]

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest."
(Psalm 22:1–2, ESV)

Reflection: When have you cried “Why?” into the silence? How might Jesus’ cry on the cross reframe your sense of abandonment?

Day 2: Roaring Lions and Unchanged Circumstances

David names his enemies—bulls, lions, dogs—yet praises while still surrounded. His shift from lament to declaration isn’t denial but defiance against feelings. Like a soldier singing in the trench, he anchors to God’s character rather than his crisis. True hope often blooms not after the storm, but in its fiercest winds. [58:28]

"I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you... For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him."
(Psalm 22:22,24, ESV)

Reflection: What “unchanged circumstance” needs you to declare God’s faithfulness today? Where can you praise while still waiting?

Day 3: The Cross Where Abandonment Became Answer

Jesus’ cry of forsakenness fulfills David’s psalm and fractures eternity. The Father turns away so we never have to. His silence at Calvary guarantees God hears our every whisper. When prayers feel unanswered, we return here—to the moment Love let itself be torn to end all separation. [01:04:18]

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, 'I thirst.'... When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
(John 19:28,30, ESV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ thirst on the cross deepen your understanding of His solidarity with your unmet longings?

Day 4: Tad Lincoln and the Back Door to the Throne

The soldier’s story reveals our access: Jesus, the President’s Son, escorts us past barriers. Prayer isn’t a lottery ticket but a birthright. Every “Help!” becomes incense at heaven’s throne, even when whispered through tears. Our feelings of distance can’t negate Christ’s torn curtain. [01:09:54]

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
(Hebrews 4:16, ESV)

Reflection: What prayer have you hesitated to bring, thinking it too small or too shameful? How does Jesus’ mediation change this?

Day 5: Rearview Mirrors and Forward Hope

We often see God clearest looking back—in cancer journeys, closed doors, or quiet providence. Like David recalling ancestors’ deliverance, we trace fingerprints in past valleys to trust present darkness. The cross stands as eternal proof: if He gave His Son, will He withhold any true good? [01:19:15]

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
(Romans 8:18, ESV)

Reflection: What past “Gethsemane moment” now shows God’s faithfulness? How can that memory anchor you in current uncertainty?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 22 begins with David in a place of deep distress. David cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and the cry is not the cry of a servant trying to sound spiritual. It is the cry of a brokenhearted child saying to his Father, “Where are you?” The psalm gives words for that painful place where prayer feels like it is bouncing off the ceiling, where God seems far away, and where the darkness makes abandonment feel true.

David remembers that God delivered the ancestors of Israel, yet David feels like the exception. David says he is mocked, scorned, surrounded, poured out like water, and so afraid that his heart has melted like wax. The enemies around him are like bulls, roaring lions, and packs of dogs. Yet David does not walk away from God. David presses in, lays it all out, and asks again and again, “Help me, deliver me, rescue me, save me.”

Psalm 22 then turns in a remarkable way. David moves from despair to praise before the situation appears to change. The psalm declares that God has listened, that God has not despised the suffering one, and that future generations will say, “He has done it.” The felt reality was darkness, fear, and silence. The actual reality was that God had not abandoned David at all.

The psalm also points far beyond David. The pierced hands and feet, the divided garments, the mocking words, the bones on display, and the cry of forsakenness all point to Jesus on the cross. Jesus entered the abandonment David only felt. The Father placed human sin upon the Son, and Jesus endured separation so that those who trust him would never be separated from God. The cross becomes the clearest proof that God listens, loves, and gives access to his presence through his Son.

Psalm 23 follows Psalm 22 with the good Shepherd who cares for his sheep. Jesus is the Lamb who dies and the Shepherd who lives to care, guide, refresh, and comfort. The believer’s present and future are secured by him, even in the darkest valley.

Feelings matter, but feelings are not truth. Feelings can be fickle, and Satan can twist them into accusation and despair. God and his word are truth. The heart must examine itself, question its feelings, look back at God’s faithfulness, look most of all at the cross, and choose trust in the dark. In the waiting, searching, healing, and hurting, “there was Jesus.”

Key Takeaways

1. Prayer does not need sugarcoating. David brings God the whole ugly truth of his fear, weakness, and pain. Psalm 22 shows that honest prayer is not unbelief, because David’s raw words still move toward God rather than away from him. The brokenhearted child does not need to tidy up the cry before bringing it to the Father. [57:51]
2. Feelings are not final truth. The heart can feel abandoned while God is actually listening. Feelings can alert a person to pain, but they cannot be trusted as the last word about God’s presence or love. The darkness may hide God’s face, but it does not cancel God’s faithfulness. [75:42]
3. Jesus was abandoned for believers. Psalm 22 reaches its deepest meaning at the cross, where Jesus speaks David’s words in their fullest weight. Jesus entered real forsakenness under the burden of sin, not because the Father lacked love, but because there was no other way to bring sinners home. His abandonment means those who trust him are never finally abandoned. [66:00]
4. The cross answers the darkness. When the present gives little evidence of God’s care, the cross remains the clearest evidence in the universe. God did not give his Son and then turn a deaf ear to the prayers of those who come through that Son. The wounded Christ is the strongest answer to the suspicion that God is not listening. [80:32]
5. Trust becomes worship in waiting. The choice to trust God while nothing visible has changed is not denial. It is worship, because it gives more weight to God’s character than to the darkness of the moment. Hope grows when the heart runs to God instead of staying alone in despair.

## [82:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[48:34] - Opening Prayer
[48:56] - Psalms As A Primer For Prayer
[50:12] - When God Feels Silent
[52:28] - Felt Reality, Actual Reality, Response
[53:51] - David’s Deep Distress
[54:54] - The Cry Of A Brokenhearted Child
[57:12] - David Lays It All Before God
[58:13] - From Despair To Praise
[59:39] - God Had Not Abandoned David
[60:44] - The Promise Of The Messiah
[61:40] - Psalm 22 Points To Jesus
[64:04] - Jesus Enters Forsakenness
[69:54] - Access To God Through The Son
[74:41] - Examining The Heart
[75:22] - Questioning Feelings
[77:51] - Looking For Truth
[80:32] - Looking Back At The Cross
[81:07] - Choosing Trust In The Dark

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 22
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; ‘He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!’ Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.” [52:04] [01:04:00]

Psalm 23
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Romans 8:38-39
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [01:07:07]

Matthew 27:46
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

Observation questions

In Psalm 22, what words and images describe David’s distress, and what do they show about how intense his suffering felt? [57:12]
What does David keep doing in Psalm 22 even while he feels abandoned, mocked, and surrounded?
Where does Psalm 22 shift from lament to praise, and what is striking about that change? [58:13]
What details in Psalm 22 sound like the crucifixion of Jesus? [01:01:40]

Interpretation questions

David says, “My God, my God,” even while asking why he has been forsaken. What does that suggest about the kind of relationship he still has with God in the middle of his pain? [55:48]
Psalm 22 says that God “has not hidden his face” and “has heard,” even though David felt abandoned. What does that reveal about the difference between felt reality and actual reality?
Jesus took the words of Psalm 22 on his lips at the cross. Why does that matter for understanding what he was bearing there, and how does that help explain why believers are never finally abandoned? [01:04:16]
Psalm 22 is followed by Psalm 23. How does seeing Jesus as both the suffering Lamb and the living Shepherd deepen the comfort of these psalms together? [01:11:17]

Application questions

When prayer has felt dry, distant, or unanswered, what have you tended to do with that pain? Have you pulled back from God, gone quiet, or kept bringing the whole truth to him? [57:51]
Feelings are real, but they are not the final truth. What feelings most often mislead you in hard seasons—abandonment, fear, shame, bitterness, numbness? How can you recognize when those feelings are speaking louder than God’s word? [01:15:22]
Honest prayer does not need sugarcoating. What would it look like this week to speak to God more like a child crying to a Father and less like someone trying to sound composed or spiritual? [55:52]
There are times when the heart needs to be examined. Is there any area of resistance, cherished sin, or unfinished repentance that may be affecting closeness with God right now? [01:14:54]
Looking back often helps the heart remember that God was present even when he did not feel near. Can each person share one time when God’s faithfulness became clearer only in the rearview mirror? [01:18:56]
The cross is the clearest proof of God’s love when present circumstances feel dark. What changes in a person’s thinking when they look at the cross instead of only at the situation in front of them? [01:20:32]
Choosing trust in the dark is an act of worship. What would choosing trust look like in one specific situation facing you right now? [01:21:07]

Sermon Clips

49s

#LookToTheCross

“``If we can't even find evidence at all of God's faithfulness to us, Look at the cross. This is the most beautiful evidence of the faithfulness and love of God in the entire universe. Love poured out for us. So if you can't look anywhere while you're praying, look at the cross. And then finally, I would say we need to make a choice. We start by examining our hearts, questioning our feelings, looking for the truth, and then we're left with a decision to make.”

36s

#RisenAndListening

“here's the truth, the actual truth, even if the darkness of our situation hides his presence from us, makes us think he's not listening to us, it is not true. Do you think God would give his son to die for you and then not listen to his your prayers? And there is something else we actually we need to realize. Jesus did not just die for us, he actually rose again and lives for us, to care for us.”

53s

#TrustInTheDark

“Choosing to trust God in the darkness of waiting and hurt is actually an act of worship. I don't know if you realize that. it is a haven of hope. God does not want us in despair. He wants us to be hopeful and to trust him. So I started today by asking if feelings were the best measure of whether God is listening to us, and the truth is they are not. Our feelings are important. They are not the truth. God is truth. And he tells us in his word, and he has shown us so clearly by sending us his son that he loves us more than we could ever, ever imagine.”

68s

#GoodShepherdPromise

“Do you know that in Psalm 22, we see Jesus as the lamb of God who dies to take away the sin of the world? And what is the next psalm after 22? Psalm 23. Jesus, the good shepherd who cares for his sheep, the one who makes us lie down in green pastures, leads us by still waters, who refreshes our souls, who guides us in right paths. And even when we walk through the darkest valleys, he is with us and he comforts us, even when we are in the presence of our enemies. His goodness and his love, we're told, will follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in his house forever. Our present and our future are entire entirely secured by him. So no matter what our present felt reality, this is our actual reality of our relationship with God.”

75s

#FromDespairToPraise

“And then, we see this incredible thing happen. The prayer completely changes. As we move into verse 22 to the remainder of this entire psalm, he has now moved from despair to praise. He says, I am going to declare your greatness. I'm going to tell all the people in the assembly and praise you. And he's even telling the people of Israel, honor God. He stops lamenting, starts praising, and nothing has actually changed about his situation. Throughout the rest of this entire psalm, he talks about how how strong, how beautiful, how wonderful God is, how in fact he has listened to his prayers and cries for help in verse 24, and even ends with saying that in the future, people who are yet unborn are going to declare he has done it. What a contrast. Nothing has changed about his situation. He's still being pursued, still in a pit, still worried, yet now his perspective and his hope are entirely different.”

71s

#RawPrayer

“Can you hear his anguish, his pain, his desperation? This is not the cry of a servant, this is the cry of a broken hearted child saying to his father, where are you? Where are you, father? You know, I think that is what is so what can be so intensely painful to us when we experience God not answering our prayers. We may think he's not listening to us, and we can feel a deep sense of betrayal. We say to God just like David, if I am your dearly loved child, why aren't you answering me? I know you can. I know you are powerful. I know you have answered so many people, why are you not doing anything for me? So it can make us feel like God actually does not love us, and honestly, can make us walk away from God and give up on praying altogether.”

77s

#SacrificialLove

“He did that because he loved us. He allowed himself to be separated from his father and die for our sin so that we would never have to be separated from him because there was no other way. Our sin separates us from our father. Our sin separates us from our holy God. And and so Jesus was separated from his father and died a death we can only ever imagine and we don't fully understand. We sang this morning, I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. We don't know the depth of the cost to our Lord Jesus Christ, what it took for him to take our sin, but only he could do it. As fully human, only he could go in your place. As fully and completely God, he could go in an infinite number of people's place. So he was abandoned, so we would never have to be. And that is what this describes, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me as he died, a sinner's death?”

50s

#RunToGod

“In times of frustration and darkness, will we choose to stay in despair? Will we choose not to trust God? Will we run from him? like David, will we choose to trust God and run to him and know and believe that he is listening to us? Trust that even we can't see him, even when we can't feel him, that he is there, that your that your and my prayers are rising to his throne, and that in his perfect time and in his perfect way, he is going to answer you.”

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