“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (v. 1). We can’t get past the first verse of Psalm 22 without immediately being confronted by this familiar phrase that Jesus quoted on the cross. Upon reading this, the whole perspective of this psalm shifts for the reader. What was a psalm of lament written by David now becomes a song of suffering, and further, victory by Jesus on the cross (this being especially pertinent in the Lent season).

In quoting this Scripture on the cross, Jesus is calling his followers, both then and now, to remember Psalm 22 and to read it now in light of the crucifixion. At first glance, it’s pretty bleak: a sufferer calls out to God, awaiting an answer that hasn’t come. But what stands out in the midst of this cry is the speaker’s (David’s/Jesus’) faith in God’s power to save (vv. 3-5, 9-10). God has been faithful in the past and we can trust him to be faithful in the present.

What is also striking is the concrete prophecy within Psalm 22 that gets fulfilled upon Jesus’ arrest and execution (vv. 16-18). In speaking the words of this song, Jesus is comforting his disciples from the cross that this is all a part of the plan. The God whose silence we may, in our suffering, interpret to be inaction (vv. 1-15), is actually working in ways more beautiful and life-changing than we can ever imagine.

Finally, Jesus is reminding us through his use of this Psalm on the cross that salvation is coming (vv. 21b and on)! Even when darkness seems to be winning, he continues to teach that the savior is here, the king is on the throne, God is listening. If only we would heed his words and read the entirety of Psalm 22, we would see the hope that is in store for us. In our day-to-day hurts, we still take up the cross and follow Jesus because there’s a second half to this story. All things will be made right, whether in this world or the next.