Read | Psalm 22:1–31
For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far from my deliverance
and from my words of groaning?
My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.
But you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors trusted in you;
they trusted, and you rescued them.
They cried to you and were set free;
they trusted in you and were not disgraced.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by people.
Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
“He relies on the LORD;
let him save him;
let the LORD rescue him,
since he takes pleasure in him.”
It was you who brought me out of the womb,
making me secure at my mother’s breast.
I was given over to you at birth;
you have been my God from my mother’s womb.
Don’t be far from me, because distress is near
and there’s no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.
They open their mouths against me—
lions, mauling and roaring.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are disjointed;
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.
My strength is dried up like baked clay;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You put me into the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me;
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people look and stare at me.
They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.
But you, LORD, don’t be far away.
My strength, come quickly to help me.
Rescue my life from the sword,
my only life from the power of these dogs.
Save me from the lion’s mouth,
from the horns of wild oxen.
You answered me!
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will praise you in the assembly.
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the torment of the oppressed.
He did not hide his face from him
but listened when he cried to him for help.
I will give praise in the great assembly
because of you;
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear you.
The humble will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember
and turn to the LORD.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before you,
for kingship belongs to the LORD;
he rules the nations.
All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down;
all those who go down to the dust
will kneel before him—
even the one who cannot preserve his life.
Their descendants will serve him;
the next generation will be told about the LORD.
They will come and declare his righteousness;
to a people yet to be born
they will declare what he has done.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
Jesus references this psalm during his passion and crucifixion (Matthew 27:46, 35; Mark 15:34, 24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23–24). How does reading this passage in its fuller context help you understand how Jesus connects with our own suffering and laments?
Focus
Listen to this song which takes the words, themes, and ideas from this passage and its broader book and makes them like a prayer put to music: Poor Bishop Hooper - Psalm 22 (Live)
The Kansas City-based Christian music group, Poor Bishop Hooper, has created a song meditating on each psalm in the Bible as an exploration of how God connects with us through the entire range of human emotions and experiences. Find more about their project and listen to their EveryPsalm project here. This is a great resource to engage with as you practice using Scripture in prayer.
Pray
Craft your own prayer based on today’s Scripture passage, and what you’ve learned about praying Scripture this week and from the song today. Consider reading the passage out loud, then pause and pray, putting this Scripture into your own words.
Using Scripture to pray can vocalize what’s in our hearts when words are hard to find. It can help us pray about the experiences we often avoid talking about but the Bible doesn’t. Using the words of Scripture in prayer can align our minds, hearts, and wills with God.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.
