Psalm 22:1-5, 23-24
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me,
from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried,
and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe
of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face
from me, but heard when I cried to him.

Reflection:
Perhaps it’s a sign of the time, but as I think about Jesus time right before His crucifixion, the main idea that has jumped out to me is His loneliness. In the garden, Jesus just wants His friends to stay up with Him as He struggles with what is about to happen, but they fall short time after time. Peter denies ever knowing Jesus, and in His last moment before His death, (at least in Matthew and Mark), Jesus quotes this Psalm which in the Hebrew literally says “My God, my God, why did you leave me?” He feels utterly alone. But Psalm 22 soon shifts focus – not only will God help the afflicted, but to trust in this deliverance we can look to the stories of the faithful who demonstrate that nothing has to be faced alone.

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, please grant us your comfort when we feel alone in this scary, uncertain world of Yours. Surround us with not only Your support but the support of our church and friends so we may be reminded of Your provisions throughout time. Convince us that just as Good Friday was not the end of Jesus’ story, loneliness is not the end of ours. Amen.

– Cassandra Mills