Psalm 22 — The Righteous One’s Cry and the Faith That Endures in Darkness

Psalm 22 opens with one of the most recognizable and haunting cries in Scripture:

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”

This is not the cry of unbelief.
It is the cry of faith under silence.

The psalmist does not say “There is no God.”
He says,

• “My God.”
• The God he belongs to.
• The God he has known.
• The God he trusts.

He calls upon God while experiencing the absence of God’s felt nearness.

This cry does not deny relationship —
it presupposes it.
The pain comes precisely because this is the God whom the sufferer loves.

The psalm opens in a place where:

• Faith is not rewarded with instant comfort.
• Prayer is not immediately answered.
• The soul stands before God without explanation.

This is not despair.
This is holy lament — honest grief voiced in unwavering relation to God.

The Apparent Silence of God

The psalmist continues:

“Why are You so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”

There is no softening of emotion here.
The soul speaks plainly before God.

He prays day and night:

• “O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer,”
• “and by night, but I find no rest.”

Yet even here, faith does not collapse.
The psalmist immediately remembers:

“Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”

Three movements are held together:

1. The cry of abandonment
2. The remembrance of God’s holiness
3. The appeal to the history of God’s faithfulness

This is the structure of faith in suffering:

The psalmist remembers:

“In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You delivered them.”

This remembrance is not merely historical —
it re-establishes identity:

• We are the people You have always rescued.
• You have been faithful to those who called upon You.
• I stand in the same covenant story.

The Mockery of Men and the Isolation of Suffering

Yet the suffering intensifies:

“I am a worm, and not a man.”

This is not self-loathing.
It is the experience of being dehumanized by others.

Those around him:

• mock,
• distort,
• dismiss,
• and interpret his suffering as God’s rejection.

“He trusts in the LORD; let Him deliver him.”

This is the same mockery Christ received at the cross (Matthew 27:43).

Here Psalm 22 moves from personal lament to prophetic detail.

The righteous sufferer is not merely surrounded by enemies —
he is misunderstood in his suffering.

To trust in God while suffering is to be misunderstood by those who equate blessing with comfort.

Yet God Has Been Present Since the Beginning

But the psalmist remembers:

“You took me from the womb;
You made me trust You at my mother’s breasts.”

Suffering cannot erase history.
God has held him from the beginning.

This memory does not remove the pain —
it gives him ground to remain in prayer.

He does not walk away — he presses further into God.

“Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.”

When all human support collapses, the soul discovers whether it truly belongs to God.

Images of Encirclement and Physical Collapse

The psalm now moves into intense imagery:

• “Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me.”
• “They open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.”

These images convey:

• overwhelming opposition,
• spiritual hostility,
• the encircling presence of evil.

His body weakens:

• “I am poured out like water.”
• “All my bones are out of joint.”
• “My heart is like wax.”
• “My strength is dried up.”

This suffering touches the body, the spirit, and the soul.

The psalmist is brought to the dust of death.

This is not merely metaphor —
these words match the crucifixion.

Piercing, Division of Garments, Casting Lots

The psalm becomes unmistakably prophetic:

“They have pierced my hands and feet.”
“They divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”

These are not poetic generalities:

• They are fulfilled in Christ (John 19:23–24, 37).
• A thousand years before the crucifixion.

The righteous sufferer of Psalm 22 is not only David —
he is the Messiah spoken of in advance.

Yet Faith Does Not Die in the Darkness

The psalm does not end in despair.
Even before deliverance appears, hope begins to awaken:

“But You, O LORD, do not be far off!
O You my help, come quickly to my aid!”

Faith remains alive — not because circumstances change,
but because the heart still turns toward God.

Where the wicked mock,
the righteous cry out.

Where the wicked interpret suffering as abandonment,
the righteous interpret suffering as the place where God must act.

The cry remains:

• personal,
• urgent,
• unpolished,
• real.

This is the faith of Psalm 22:
a faith that refuses to walk away from God, even when God seems silent.

Psalm 22 now moves from suffering to deliverance — but without changing the voice, tone, or sincerity. The same One who cried, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” now declares that God has heard.

The psalm turns sharply at verse 21:

“You have answered me.”

This is the hinge of the entire psalm.

• The suffering was real.
• The anguish was not imagined.
• The silence was not illusion.

But God was never absent — He was accomplishing purpose.

What begins in lament rises into praise, not after pain is forgotten, but through the suffering of the righteous one.

The Suffering Was Not Meaningless — It Becomes Testimony

The psalmist declares:

“I will tell of Your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise You.”

The same one who was surrounded by mockers
now stands among worshipers.

Suffering does not merely end —
it becomes proclamation.

Affliction does not silence the righteous —
it awakens praise that teaches others how to trust.

The afflicted one does not withdraw from community in pain.
He re-enters community in praise, revealing that deliverance is meant to be shared so that others may trust in the Lord.

God Did Not Reject the Sufferer

The psalm explicitly clarifies:

“He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
neither has He hidden His face from him,
but He has heard when he cried to Him.”

The opening cry of abandonment is not the final truth.

The opening cry expresses:

• experience,
• agony,
• the felt absence of God.

But the final revelation expresses:

• God’s presence,
• God’s hearing,
• God’s faithfulness.

The psalm teaches what mature faith must learn:

The experience of God’s distance is not the reality of God’s absence.

The righteous may feel forsaken,
but God does not forsake those who belong to Him.

The Covenant Expands Toward the Nations

Praise now widens beyond Israel:

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.”

The suffering of the righteous one becomes the turning point for the nations.

The One who cried in darkness
will be the reason the world remembers God.

What began in anguish will result in:

• worldwide worship,
• global remembrance,
• nations bowing to the Lord.

The psalm extends the hope of salvation beyond Israel to all people.
This is not optimism — it is covenant certainty:

“The kingdom belongs to the LORD.”

This is the mission of God foretold in suffering.

Christ-Fulfillment in Fullness

Psalm 22 is not merely similar to the crucifixion —
it describes it.

Jesus quotes the opening line from the cross (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), not to express failure, but to identify Himself as the righteous sufferer of this psalm.

At the cross:

• He is surrounded by mockers who say these exact words:
  “He trusts in God; let Him deliver Him.”
• His hands and feet are pierced.
• His garments are divided, and lots are cast for His clothing.
• His strength is dried up.
• He enters the dust of death.

Christ fulfills the suffering section of this psalm with exact precision.

But Christ also fulfills the deliverance section:

• “You have answered Me” points to the resurrection.
• “I will tell of Your name to my brothers” is quoted in Hebrews 2:11–12 to describe the risen Christ in the midst of His people.
• The gathering of all nations in worship is the mission of the gospel.
• A people yet unborn will be told — this is the ongoing proclamation of salvation through the Church.

Psalm 22 is not only the psalm of the crucifixion —
it is the psalm of the resurrection, the Church, and the nations coming to Christ.

The Psalm Ends in Victory

The final line declares:

“They shall come and proclaim His righteousness
to a people yet unborn, that He has done it.”

These last words echo Christ’s final cry:

“It is finished.” (John 19:30)

The psalm begins in agony:

• “Why have You forsaken me?”

and ends in proclamation:

• “He has done it.”

This is not coincidence.
This is the shape of salvation:

The righteous sufferer is heard.
The afflicted is vindicated.
The nations are gathered.
The kingdom is revealed.

This is the gospel in the language of the Psalms.

What We Carry Forward

Psalm 22 reveals the righteous sufferer who cries out under the weight of affliction, misunderstood by others and seemingly forsaken. Yet he continues to address God as “My God,” refusing to sever the relationship. The suffering intensifies, reaching details that prophetically match the crucifixion of Christ. At the turning point, God answers, and suffering becomes testimony. Praise expands from the individual to the congregation, and then to all nations. The psalm ends with the proclamation that God has acted: “He has done it.” In Christ’s death and resurrection, Psalm 22 is fulfilled. The One who bore the anguish now leads the praise of His people and draws all nations to worship the Lord.

Walking Deeper With Christ

The Lord uses His Word to strengthen, correct, and comfort. If today’s reading gave you a clearer view of His presence, the teachings below can help you keep walking with Jesus steadily.

Psalm 22 — The Righteous One’s Cry and the Faith That Endures in Darkness: Psalm 22 opens with one of the most recognizable and haunting cries in Scripture: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” This is not the cry of unbelief.It is the cry of faith under silence. The psalmist does not say “There is no God.”He says, “My God.” The God he.

The Shepherd’s Care — God’s Comfort and Guidance

The Lord walks with His children in every season, offering strength, protection, and peace. These passages reveal the Shepherd who never leaves His people.

A Study in Psalms 3:1–8
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2026/01/23/a-study-in-psalms-31-8/

A Study in Psalms 23:1–6
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2026/01/24/a-study-in-psalms-231-6/

Psalm 46 — God Our Refuge and Strength
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/05/31/psalm-46-meaning-god-our-refuge-and-strength-a-psalm-of-comfort-and-assurance/

Rebuilding What Was Broken — God’s Restoring Power

God not only redeems—He rebuilds. These readings explore how the Lord restores foundations, renews courage, and strengthens His people.

Jesus in Nehemiah — Rebuilding Walls and Restoring Faith
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/05/29/jesus-in-nehemiah-rebuilding-walls-and-restoring-faith/

Ezra 3 — The Altar and the Foundation Laid
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/11/08/ezra-3-the-altar-and-the-foundation-laid/

Following Jesus Daily — Learning Surrender and Trust

Discipleship is a daily journey. These readings help you understand what it means to walk with Jesus in faith, obedience, and perseverance.

Take Up Your Cross Daily
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/11/10/what-does-it-mean-to-take-up-your-cross-daily/

The Faith of Peter
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/05/16/the-faith-of-peter-walking-on-water-matthew-1422-33-cev/

A Journey Through Scripture — Seeing God’s Story Unfold

From the first verse of Genesis to the final promise in Revelation, the Bible reveals one great story of redemption. This guide helps you trace how every book connects.

The Books of the Bible: Clear Guide for Every Believer
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/11/17/the-books-of-the-bible-in-chronological-order-a-clear-guide-for-every-believer/

Transformation by the Spirit — Living as a New Creation

Where Christ reigns, the old life breaks away and a new one rises. These passages show how God renews the heart and leads His people into freedom.

What Does It Mean to Be a New Creation in Christ?
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/11/10/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-new-creation-in-christ/

David’s Journey: From Shepherd to King and Man After God’s Own Heart
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/05/14/davids-journey-from-shepherd-to-king-and-man-after-gods-own-heart/

Joseph’s Early Life and His Dreams
https://goodchristiannetwork.com/2025/05/19/josephs-early-life-and-his-dreams-genesis-37/