Thursday Scripture and Prayer: Psalm 22
Next Door to Elvis
------------------
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from helping me,
and from the words of my roaring?
O my God, I cry in the day time,
but thou hearest not;
and in the night season, and am not silent.
------------------
Do you know who lived next door to Elvis?
Nope.
Nobody does.
Psalm 23 is the Elvis of Psalms.
It's the greatest song of all time.
Everyone knows it--many know it by heart.
It's hard for Psalm 22 to even be noticed.
But on the cross, the only scripture Jesus quoted was Psalm 22:
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?
My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?
The Psalms are a different kind of book of the Bible.
They are the raw, honest prayers of God's people.
Their place in Scripture shows that God speaks through our prayers.
And that includes your prayers.
It's great to know that Psalm 23 is there.
But sometimes we don't feel our lives reflect pastures of righteousness and pools of still water.
Sometimes our prayers roar with sounds of silence.
Sometimes we feel unheard, mocked, and surrounded.
Jesus took all your feelings of isolation to the cross.
God speaks through your prayers, even when you feel forsaken.
At the end, Psalm 22 is a prayer of hope and trust.
That hope and trust comes from the cross.
Even when you feel forsaken, Jesus is the answer.
And your prayers still have the voice of God.
-----------------
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
(LONG PAUSE...)
My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation!