Some prayers seem to go nowhere. You pray at night, and morning comes with no answer. You pray about the same thing for months, and nothing changes. After a while you stop telling people, because they expect faith to sound more certain than you feel.
Psalm 22 begins in that place. The heading calls it “a psalm of David.” David had been a shepherd boy, then a soldier, then a king. He knew what it was to be hunted, betrayed, and alone. Many of his psalms are laments: honest prayers that tell God what is wrong. This one begins with a painful question: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Notice whom David addresses. He brings his complaint to God Himself. That is a kind of faith, even when it does not feel like faith.
About a thousand years later, Jesus prayed the first line of this psalm aloud while He was dying on the cross. This week you will read the whole psalm, one part each day. Today, start with the cry. You are allowed to pray it too.
Mark tells us that darkness covered the land from noon until three in the afternoon. Three o’clock was the hour of afternoon prayer at the temple (Acts 3:1). At that hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” These words are Aramaic, the everyday language Jesus spoke. Mark keeps the sound of His own words and then translates them for us: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Many teachers believe that for people who knew the psalms by heart, the first line could bring the whole psalm to mind. When Jesus prayed this line, He prayed from a psalm that begins in darkness and ends in praise. Read Mark’s account slowly, then answer the questions below.
In verse 1, is David talking about God, or talking to God? How can you tell?
Add a note
Read verse 2. When does David pray, and what does he say happens?
Add a note
In Mark 15:35–36, what did some of the people near the cross think Jesus was doing?
Add a note
What did the centurion say when he saw how Jesus died (Mark 15:39)?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
In verse 1, the word “you” comes more than once. Who is “you”?
Mark 15:34 tells you what Jesus said. Verse 35 tells you what some people heard.
One way someone answered
David talks to God, not only about Him. He prays in the day and in the night, and he says God does not answer and he finds no rest. Some people near the cross heard “Eloi” and thought Jesus was calling Elijah. The centurion, a Roman officer, watched Jesus die and said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Hebrew insight
Eli, Eli, lamah ʿazavtani (אלי אלי למה עזבתני) is the Hebrew of the first line: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” The verb ʿazav (עזב) means to leave or abandon. It is a strong word. Genesis 2:24 uses it when a man leaves his father and mother. David feels that God has walked away from him.
Even here, David says “my God” twice. He feels abandoned but keeps addressing the One he cannot hear. You do not have to sound certain before you bring your pain to God. Begin with “My God.”
Talk it over
When have you felt that God was silent, and what did you do with that feeling?
Need a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Think of one time, not every time. When was it, and what were you praying about?
What did you do with the silence: keep praying, stop praying, stop telling people, something else?
David brought his complaint to God himself. Which part of yours would be hardest to say to him out loud?
One way someone answered
The year my marriage ended I prayed every night and heard nothing. After a few months I stopped saying the prayer out loud, and then I stopped telling people I was praying at all. I did not stop believing. I just went quiet. Today's verse says David kept talking to God while he felt left. I want to try saying the hard part to God instead of to no one.
When have you felt that God was silent, and what did you do with that feeling?
One action
Write a two-line prayer that begins with “My God.” Say the hard part plainly. You do not need to end with an answer. Keep this prayer, because you will come back to it on Day 6.
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Two lines is the whole task. If “My God” is as far as you get today, write those two words and keep the page.
One prayer
My God, I do not understand You today, but I am still talking to You. Hear me, even when I cannot hear You yet.
Tomorrow: what David remembered when God felt far away.
Sources and notes
The opening cry
Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46 both quote the first line of Psalm 22. Matthew gives the first words as “Eli, Eli,” which is closer to the Hebrew; Mark gives “Eloi, Eloi,” in Aramaic. Neither Gospel says that Jesus prayed the rest of the psalm. The thought that a first line could bring a whole psalm to mind is a common observation by commentators. It helps us read the scene, but the Gospel writers do not say it.
The NIV heading reads: “For the director of music. To the tune of ‘The Doe of the Morning.’ A psalm of David.” This study follows that heading. Acts 3:1 names three in the afternoon as “the time of prayer” at the temple. Mark does not draw a connection between that hour and Jesus’ cry; we mention it as background.
The meanings given here follow the Brown–Driver–Briggs Hebrew lexicon. The thought that David “has not let go of the relationship” is a pastoral reading of the repeated “my God.” It is not part of the dictionary meaning.
Which word begins the verse, and what does David say about God right after it?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Find the first word. What does it do to the verse before it?
The verse says two things about God. What is he called, and who praises him?
One way someone answered
The verse begins with “Yet.” It turns from the question to something else. David says God is enthroned as the Holy One, and that he is the one Israel praises.
When worry fills the room, it is hard to remember anything else. Someone mentions a happy day from years ago, and you can barely reach it. The present trouble is too loud.
After “why,” David says “yet.” Still hurting, he remembers that God is holy and has helped His people before. He sets those memories beside the unanswered question.
Israel’s story began with a cry for help. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they groaned and cried out, and God heard them (Exodus 2:23–25). David’s ancestors trusted God and were rescued, and their story became part of his prayer.
Today, make room for one memory of help. If none comes easily, start with the memory the psalm gives you. You can borrow other people’s stories of God’s faithfulness until your own are easier to reach.
On the Sunday Jesus rose from the dead, two of His followers walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles away. They were sad and confused. Jesus had died, and some women had reported that His tomb was empty. He came and walked beside them, but they did not recognize Him.
He asked what they were talking about and let them tell Him their disappointment. Then He took them back to the Scriptures. Later that evening He told His disciples that everything written about Him “in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” had to be fulfilled (Luke 24:44). Read the walk to Emmaus, then answer the questions.
In verses 4–5, how many times does the NIV use “trust” or “trusted”? Why do you think David keeps repeating it?
Add a note
What does David say happened to the ancestors who trusted God (verses 4–5)?
Add a note
In Luke 24:17–21, how did the two disciples look, and what had they hoped?
Add a note
What did Jesus do in Luke 24:25–27 after He heard their story?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Read verses 4–5 slowly and put your finger on each “trust” or “trusted.”
Look at how each line in verses 4–5 ends: delivered, saved, not put to shame.
One way someone answered
I counted three: “trust” once and “trusted” twice. I think he repeats it because trust is the one thing he is still holding on to. The ancestors cried out, and God delivered them and saved them. They were not put to shame. The two disciples stood still with sad faces. They had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel. Jesus told them they were slow to believe, and then He explained what all the Scriptures said about Him.
Hebrew insight
Qadosh (קדוש) means holy. It describes someone set apart, completely different from us and completely good. When David calls God “the Holy One,” he is saying that God has not become small or careless because David is suffering. The NIV footnote gives another way to read verse 3: “enthroned on the praises of Israel.” In Hebrew that is yoshev tehillot Yisrael (יושב תהלות ישראל). Picture a King whose throne is surrounded by His people’s thanks. Each time Israel remembered what God had done, they honored Him as King.
In verses 4–5 David uses the verb batach (בטח), “to trust” or “to rely on,” three times. Think of leaning your whole weight on a strong wall. David remembers people who leaned on God and were not let down. He is still asking why his own help is slow. Memory does not end his question. It gives him something solid to lean on while he asks.
Talk it over
Is there a memory of help you can hold on to today, or a story of someone else’s faithfulness that you need to hear?
Need a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Start small. Was there one meal, one phone call, one night you got through? Who was there?
If nothing of your own comes, whose story could you borrow: a grandparent, a friend, the Israelites in Egypt, the two on the road to Emmaus?
David set the memory next to the question without taking the question away. Can you write both down, side by side?
One way someone answered
My own memories are hard to reach this week. The one I found is small: a neighbor who left soup at the door when my son was in the hospital and did not ask for anything. I am not sure that counts as God's help, but I wrote it down. The ancestors trusted and were not put to shame. I am going to put that verse next to the soup and leave the why where it is.
Is there a memory of help you can hold on to today, or a story of someone else’s faithfulness that you need to hear?
One action
Write down one time you received help, comfort, or care. If no memory comes, write one thing the ancestors experienced in Psalm 22:4–5. Put it where you will see it tomorrow.
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
One memory, or one line from verses 4–5 copied out. If no memory of your own comes, the borrowed one counts.
One prayer
Holy God, remembering is hard today. Help me hold on to what You have done, even while I am still asking why.
Tomorrow: the pain of being treated as though you do not matter.
Sources and notes
Counting the words
In the NIV, verse 4 has “trust” and “trusted,” and verse 5 has “trusted.” The Hebrew verb batach occurs three times in these verses. The meanings given follow Brown–Driver–Briggs. The picture of leaning on a wall illustrates trust; it is not a full definition of the word.
The other wording comes from the NIV footnote on verse 3. It is poetic language about the Holy One whom Israel worshiped. It does not mean that our singing is what makes God present.
Luke names Emmaus as the village they were going to; he does not say it was their home. In verses 25–27 Jesus both corrects the two disciples and explains the Scriptures. Luke does not say which passages Jesus explained on the road. Luke 24:44 names the Psalms among the Scriptures that speak of Him.
Many people carry a name they call themselves. Often it began as a word someone else said: useless, a burden, nothing. Years later it can still be the loudest voice in the room.
In verse 6, David calls himself a worm. He feels small, ignored, and stepped on. People laugh at him and shake their heads. They mock his faith: “He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him.” Their words hurt as much as his troubles, because they are telling him that trusting God was foolish.
Matthew describes a scene very much like this at Jesus’ cross. Soldiers dressed Jesus in a scarlet robe and mocked Him. People passing by shook their heads. Religious leaders used almost the same words as verse 8.
After today’s questions, you will explore the Hebrew word for “worm” and its connection with scarlet. For now, remember: those who mocked Jesus did not have the last word about Him, and hurtful names do not have the last word about you.
After Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, the Roman soldiers took Him into their headquarters. They put a scarlet robe on Him, probably a soldier’s red cloak. They twisted thorns into a crown, set it on His head, and knelt in front of Him as a joke. Then they took the robe off, put His own clothes back on Him, and led Him out to be crucified.
At the cross, people passing by shook their heads. The religious leaders said, “He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him.” Read Matthew’s account, then read Psalm 22:8 again.
What three things does verse 7 say people do to the one praying?
Add a note
Read Matthew 27:43, then Psalm 22:8. What is the same?
Add a note
What color was the robe the soldiers put on Jesus, and what did they do with it before they led Him away (Matthew 27:28–31)? What were the soldiers trying to say about Jesus by dressing Him this way?
Add a note
In Isaiah 41:14, what does God call Jacob, and what does He promise in the very next words?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Verse 7 has three actions. Look for the verbs.
In Isaiah 41:14, read past the word “worm” to the end of the verse.
One way someone answered
They mock him, hurl insults at him, and shake their heads. Matthew 27:43 repeats the taunt of Psalm 22:8 almost word for word: he trusts God, so let God rescue him. The robe was scarlet. With the robe, the crown of thorns, and the kneeling, they were mocking Him as a pretend king. Then they took it off and dressed Jesus in His own clothes again. In Isaiah, God calls His people “you worm Jacob,” and then He says, “Do not fear, for I myself will help you.” God uses the word, but He does not leave them there.
The Hebrew word for “worm” in verse 6 is tolaʿat (תולעת). It is an ordinary word. It is used for the worms that spoiled the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:20). David chose a word that meant small, weak, and easy to crush.
The same word has a second use. When God told Moses how to make the tabernacle, He asked for curtains of “blue, purple and scarlet yarn” (Exodus 26:1). The Hebrew for scarlet there is tolaʿat shani (תולעת שני). The red dye came from a tiny insect that lived on oak trees. Scarlet was woven into the curtains of God’s house and into the high priest’s clothes (Exodus 28:5–6). The word for a lowly worm also named a color used in worship.
God used that color in a promise: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). In Hebrew, “crimson” there comes from the same word.
The one praying in Psalm 22 feels like a worm anyone could step on. At the cross, soldiers dressed Jesus in scarlet to mock Him. Many Christians see something beautiful here: the One treated as a worm is the One whose suffering brings cleansing. Some days you need that forgiveness. Other days you need help to stop believing what someone said about you. God offers both. Being mistreated does not make you worthless, and looking for safety is not a failure of faith.
The little red insect on the oak
The scarlet dye of the Bible is usually identified with an insect called kermes (Kermes vermilio). It lives on a kind of oak tree that grows around the Mediterranean, including in the land of Israel. In 2024, archaeologists reported a piece of red cloth from a cave in the Judean Desert, dated long before the time of David, that was dyed with kermes. It shows that people in the land used this dye very early.
The female insect has an unusual life. While she is young she fastens herself to a twig of the oak and never moves again. Her body swells into a small, hard, round shell, about the size of a small pea. She lays her eggs underneath her own body and dies there, and her body covers the eggs until the young crawl out. Dyers gathered these bodies, full of eggs, from the branches. They dried them and made the scarlet dye.
Many preachers have seen a picture of the cross in this: a small creature fastened to wood, dying, with new life coming out from under it, and leaving behind the color of cleansing. It is a moving picture, and it may help you pray. Hold it as a picture. David does not explain his word this way, and the New Testament does not use it. You may also hear that the insect turns white after three days or stains the tree red. We have not found those details in scientific sources, so this study does not repeat them.
The firm ground for today is in the Bible itself: the taunt of Psalm 22:8 repeated at the cross, the scarlet of the tabernacle and of Isaiah 1:18, God’s promise to “you worm Jacob,” and Jesus’ welcome in Hebrews 2:11–12.
What hurtful name is hard to set down, and what does God call you instead?
Need a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Where did the name come from: a parent, a partner, a teacher, your own voice? You do not have to write it if you would rather not.
Isaiah 41:14 and Psalm 22:24 both have God speaking about someone small. What does he say?
Is what you carry a sin to confess or a shame someone handed you? If you are not sure, you can tell God you are not sure.
One way someone answered
The name is “too much.” A teacher said it when I was nine and I have heard it in my own voice ever since. I am not going to write the whole story, and the study says I do not have to. In Isaiah God calls Jacob a worm and then says he will help him, in the same breath. Psalm 22:24 says he did not despise the one who suffered. I am not sure yet what God calls me instead. I am going to read those two verses again tonight and listen.
What hurtful name is hard to set down, and what does God call you instead?
One action
Read Psalm 22:24 and Hebrews 2:11–12. Write a hurtful name you have carried, then write what these verses say about God’s care and Jesus’ welcome. If you prefer not to write the name, bring it silently to God.
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
The name does not have to go on paper. If writing it is too much today, say it silently once and write only what the two verses say.
One prayer
Lord Jesus, You were mocked and dressed in scarlet. You know what it is to be treated as nothing. Help me tell the difference between the sin I need to confess and the shame I do not need to carry. Teach me to hear Your welcome louder than the old names.
Tomorrow: “Do not be far,” and who stayed near the cross.
Sources and notes
What the word means
Brown–Driver–Briggs lists both “worm” and “scarlet” under this word family and links the Psalm 22 use with lowliness. The word is also used for worms that come with decay (Exodus 16:20; Isaiah 14:11), so it was not kept only for the dye insect. In Job 25:6 it stands beside rimmah, another word for a maggot, to describe how small a human being is before God. The lexicon uses Hebrew verse numbers, so its Psalm 22:7 is verse 6 in English Bibles.
Scarlet yarn: Exodus 25:4; 26:1; 28:5–6. Cleansing rites, where scarlet yarn was used when someone was declared clean: Leviticus 14:4; Numbers 19:6. Isaiah 1:18 uses shanim (scarlet) and katolaʿ (like crimson). The Greek translation of the Old Testament renders the tabernacle scarlet with kokkinos, the same word Matthew uses for the soldiers’ robe (Matthew 27:28). Hebrews 9:19 mentions “scarlet wool” in Moses’ covenant ceremony. Mark 15:17 and John 19:2 call the robe purple. That it was a soldier’s cloak is a common suggestion; Matthew does not say where it came from. Matthew’s scarlet and the Old Testament scarlet share a word, but Matthew does not draw the connection himself.
Isaiah 41:14 uses tolaʿat for Israel as weak and small, and pairs it with God’s promise of help. Hebrews 2:12 quotes Psalm 22:22. The Gospels do not report Jesus saying “I am a worm.” Reading Psalm 22:6 in the light of Jesus is a Christian reading that follows from the New Testament’s use of the psalm as a whole.
Naama Sukenik et al., “Early Evidence of an Archaeological Dyed Textile Using Scale-Insects: The Cave of Skulls, Israel,” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 57 (2024), article 104673. The authors identify Kermes vermilio dye in a textile from the Middle Bronze Age. The description of the insect’s life follows standard accounts of kermes and other scale insects. This evidence concerns a dye and a cloth. It does not tell us what David had in mind.
When trouble comes close, God can seem far away. A phone call, a test result, a door that closes, and suddenly everything else feels distant.
David looks all the way back to the start of his life. God brought him out of his mother’s womb. Even as a baby at his mother’s breast, he trusted. “From birth I was cast on you,” he says. Before David could speak, he already belonged to God.
From that memory he makes one short request: do not be far. You can pray those few words when a longer prayer is beyond you.
Your own childhood may not have felt safe. If that is true, you do not have to pretend otherwise as you read. David is saying that God was there before any person cared for him, or failed to. Today you will also see who stayed near Jesus on the day He died.
When Jesus was arrested the night before, His disciples ran away (Mark 14:50). The next day a small group stood near the cross. John names them: Jesus’ mother Mary, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. The disciple whom Jesus loved was there too. Luke adds that others who knew Jesus watched from a distance (Luke 23:49).
In that culture, a widow depended on her sons for food and a home. Joseph is not mentioned during Jesus’ ministry, and many believe Mary was a widow by then. While He was dying, Jesus made sure His mother would be cared for. Read the passage, then answer.
How far back does David trace God’s care (verses 9–10)?
Add a note
In verse 11, what two things does David say about his situation?
Add a note
Who does John place near the cross (John 19:25–26)? What happened to the disciples at Jesus’ arrest (Mark 14:50)?
Add a note
What did Jesus do for His mother while He was dying (John 19:26–27)?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Verses 9 and 10 mention the womb and his mother’s breast. What stage of life is that?
Verse 11 has two halves: what is near, and who is missing.
One way someone answered
David goes back to his birth, even to the womb. He says trouble is near and there is no one to help. At the arrest, everyone left Jesus and ran. At the cross, His mother, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and the disciple He loved stood near. Jesus gave His mother to that disciple, and from then on the disciple took her into his home.
Hebrew insight
Al tirchaq (אל תרחק) means “do not be far.” Distance runs through this psalm. In verse 1 David says God is far from saving him. In verse 11 he asks Him not to be far, and in verse 19 he asks again. In verse 11 the opposite word, qerovah (קרובה), “near,” describes his trouble. Trouble is close, and God feels far. That is the whole problem in two words.
“Do not be far” is a prayer you can carry through the day, even when you have little energy.
Keep this prayer in mind. In the very next psalm, David walks through the darkest valley and says, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). The God who felt far in Psalm 22 is the Shepherd who stays close in Psalm 23.
Talk it over
Who has been near you in trouble, and when did you feel that no one was?
Need a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Name one person who stayed when it would have been easier to leave. What did they do, exactly?
Now the other side. When was the room empty? What did you need then?
At the cross most of the disciples had run, and a few stood near. Which have you had around you?
One way someone answered
My sister drove four hours when my husband was in surgery and sat in the waiting room with me most of the night. She did not say much. The empty time came later, after he was home and everyone thought things were fine. I did not tell anyone that I was not fine. Reading about Mary at the cross, I noticed that Jesus did not have many people there either, but he had some. I want to text my sister today and tell her what the waiting room meant.
Who has been near you in trouble, and when did you feel that no one was?
One action
Thank one person who stayed near you in a hard time. If no one comes to mind, pray verse 11 in your own words. Bring the loneliness itself to God.
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
A thank-you can be one sentence. If no one comes to mind, the prayer is the action: “Do not be far,” said once, is enough for today.
One prayer
Lord, You have known me since before I knew You. Trouble feels near today. Do not be far from me.
Tomorrow: the psalm’s words for pain that is hard to explain.
Sources and notes
Who was where
Mark 14:50 describes the disciples running away at the arrest. John 19:25–27 names the people near the cross, and Luke 23:49 describes others watching from a distance. These verses do not tell us where every disciple was later that day. That Mary was a widow is a common inference; the Gospels do not say so.
Some pain cannot be explained in a sentence. It sits in your body. People tell you to look on the bright side, and you nod, and nothing changes.
Psalm 22 does not hurry past this kind of pain. David describes his enemies as animals closing in: strong bulls, roaring lions, a pack of dogs. Then he describes his own body: poured out like water, bones out of joint, a heart melting like wax, a mouth as dry as a broken piece of pottery. People are dividing up his clothes as if he were already dead.
These words make room for pain that cannot be tidied up. You can describe it fully to God.
You may not find an answer today. You can find company. Jesus has been in this place before you.
The soldiers who carried out a crucifixion could keep the clothes of the man they crucified. Four soldiers divided Jesus’ clothes into four shares. His undergarment was woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they did not tear it. They cast lots for it instead, which was a little like throwing dice. John says this happened so that Scripture would be fulfilled, and he quotes Psalm 22:18.
Near the end, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” Someone soaked a sponge in wine vinegar and lifted it to His lips. Then He said, “It is finished,” bowed His head, and gave up His spirit. Read the passage, then answer.
List the animals in verses 12, 13, and 16. What are they doing to the one praying?
Add a note
What happens to his body in verses 14–15? Which words would you use for that kind of exhaustion?
Add a note
Compare Psalm 22:18 with John 19:23–24. What did the soldiers do?
Add a note
What did Jesus say in John 19:28? Which words in Psalm 22:15 come to mind when you read it?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Bulls, lions, and dogs: look for the words “surround” and “encircle.”
Psalm 22:15 talks about the mouth and the tongue.
One way someone answered
The bulls surround him, the lions open their mouths against him, and the dogs close in around him. He is poured out, his bones are out of joint, his heart has melted, and his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth. The soldiers divided Jesus’ clothes and cast lots for His undergarment, just as Psalm 22:18 says. When Jesus said “I am thirsty,” I thought of the dry mouth in verse 15.
Hebrew insight
Kammayim nishpakhti (כמים נשפכתי) means “like water I am poured out.” Water poured on the ground cannot be gathered up again, and the Bible uses that picture for weakness and death (2 Samuel 14:14). David feels he has no strength left to hold himself together. Let the poetry say how deep the pain is. You do not have to turn each picture into a medical description.
Bashan was rich grazing land east of the Jordan River, known for strong, well-fed cattle (Amos 4:1). In David’s world most dogs were not pets. They roamed in packs and lived on what they could find. These pictures show a person surrounded by strength he cannot fight.
Verse 16 is hard to translate. The NIV reads “they pierce my hands and my feet.” Most Hebrew copies read “like a lion” at that point, while some very old copies and early translations read a verb. Your Bible’s footnote may explain this. You do not need to settle it today. John’s quotation of verse 18 already shows clearly that he read this psalm beside the cross.
Talk it over
What pain do you need to bring to Jesus without explaining it away?
Need a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Where does the pain sit: in your body, your sleep, a relationship, a room you avoid? Say it in one plain sentence.
What do you usually add after you name it: “but others have it worse,” “but I should be over this,” something else? Try leaving that part off.
Jesus said he was thirsty and let someone lift the sponge. Is there one person who could hear your sentence this week?
One way someone answered
My sentence is: I have not slept through the night since the funeral and I am tired in my bones. The part I usually add is “but it has been a year, so I should be fine.” Today I am leaving that off. David's words about bones out of joint and a melted heart are closer to how it feels than anything I have said to a person. I do not have someone to tell yet. I am going to read my sentence out loud to Jesus tonight and think about who could hear it.
What pain do you need to bring to Jesus without explaining it away?
One action
Name one pain to God in a plain sentence. If you can, tell a trusted person what support you need. If no one is available, write the sentence down and read it aloud to Jesus. He is listening.
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
One plain sentence is the whole task. If telling a person is too much today, the sentence read aloud to Jesus is enough, and the day still counts.
One prayer
Lord Jesus, You were poured out like water. You know this place. Stay with me in it.
Stay with this day as long as you need. When you are ready, the next reading follows the moment the prayer turns.
Sources and notes
A quotation and a comparison
John 19:23–24 quotes Psalm 22:18 and says it was fulfilled. John 19:28 says Jesus spoke “so that Scripture would be fulfilled,” but John does not name the passage. Psalm 22:15 and Psalm 69:21 are both often suggested. The link to Psalm 22:15 in today’s questions is a comparison, not a quotation John identifies.
Many commentators note that Roman soldiers who carried out an execution commonly kept the victim’s clothing. John’s account shows these soldiers doing so. Casting lots meant deciding by chance, using marked stones or similar objects.
Compare the NIV footnote and the NET translation note on Psalm 22:16. They show the evidence behind the NIV reading and why the verse is still discussed. This study does not depend on settling that question.
Sometimes help comes slowly. You notice a small change, but you still have a lot to ask for. Other times you cannot see any change at all. Both kinds of days belong in prayer.
In verses 19–21, David is still asking. “Do not be far.” “Come quickly.” “Deliver me.” “Rescue me.” “Save me.” His enemies are still a sword, dogs, lions, and wild oxen.
If the turn toward praise makes your own waiting feel heavier, tell God that too. You can read slowly and remain honest about where you are.
At the very end of verse 21, something changes. In Hebrew the verse ends with one word: “You answered me.” From verse 22 on, the whole psalm turns. The complaints stop, and David begins to make promises of praise.
The psalm does not tell us how the answer came or how long it took. It only shows that it came. If you are still waiting, this verse is not a deadline you have missed. It tells you that the One you are praying to is able to answer.
The letter to the Hebrews looks back at how Jesus prayed before the cross. Many readers think of His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Hebrews says He prayed “with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard.” Jesus was heard, and yet He still died. The answer came on the other side of death.
Early on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. An angel told them, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Jesus had told His disciples this would happen (Matthew 16:21). Read both passages, then answer.
What does David ask for in verses 19–21? List each request.
Add a note
Read verse 22. How is it different from everything before it?
Add a note
In Hebrews 5:7, how did Jesus pray, and what does the writer say happened?
Add a note
In Matthew 28:5–7, what does the angel announce, and what does “just as he said” point back to?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Verses 19–21 are full of short requests. Look for the action words: come, deliver, rescue, save.
Verse 22 begins with “I will.” What is he going to do?
One way someone answered
David asks God not to be far, to come quickly, and to deliver, rescue, and save him. In verse 22 the requests stop. He promises to tell his people about God and to praise Him in the assembly. Hebrews says Jesus prayed with fervent cries and tears and was heard. The angel says Jesus has risen, just as He said. In Matthew 16:21 Jesus had told His disciples that He would be killed and raised to life on the third day.
Hebrew insight
The last word of verse 21 in Hebrew is ʿanitani (עניתני), “You answered me.” It comes from the verb ʿanah (ענה), to answer or respond. Some English Bibles print it as a statement, as the King James Version does: “for thou hast heard me.” The NIV keeps the whole line as a request for rescue. Either way, the next verse shows that the prayer has turned.
David promises to tell others what God has done. Tomorrow you will see how far that story travels.
If you are still waiting, you can pray verses 19–21 as your own. They are honest requests, and God put them in His book for people who have not yet been rescued.
Have you noticed any help, comfort, or change? Or are you still waiting? What can you honestly say to God today?
Need a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Look back at your Day 1 prayer. Is anything different, even something small? Is anything the same?
If you are still waiting, what does the waiting feel like today: patient, angry, numb, tired? Any of those can go in the prayer.
The psalm says the answer came and does not say how long it took. What do you want to say to God about time?
One way someone answered
On Day 1 I wrote about my son not speaking to me. That has not changed. What has changed is that I have prayed every day this week, which I had not done in months, and twice I slept through the night. I am still waiting, and some days that makes me angry. I am going to add one line to my Day 1 prayer: I am still waiting, help me keep bringing this to You. I am not going to pretend about the rest.
Have you noticed any help, comfort, or change? Or are you still waiting? What can you honestly say to God today?
One action
Return to your Day 1 prayer. If you did not write one, begin with a sentence about what you were carrying then. Add any help, comfort, or change you can honestly see. If you are still waiting, write: “My God, I am still waiting. Help me keep bringing this to You.”
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
You do not have to find a change. If nothing has moved, copy the waiting sentence from the action and put today's date on it. That is an honest prayer.
One prayer
My God, thank You for the help I can see. Where I am still waiting, stay with me and help me keep asking. I do not have to pretend with You.
Tomorrow: what the rescued one does next, and how far it reaches.
Sources and notes
Why your Bible may read differently
The Hebrew text of verse 21 ends with ʿanitani. Translators differ on whether to read it as a statement (“You answered me”) or to fold it into the request for rescue, as the NIV does. The NET Bible prints it as a statement and explains the options in its notes. The psalm does not tell how or when the rescue happened.
Hebrews 5:7 does not name Gethsemane, but many commentators connect it with Jesus’ prayer there (Matthew 26:36–46). Hebrews 5 and Matthew 28 do not quote Psalm 22:21. They are read together here as Christian reflection, and neither promises that our own circumstances will change at once.
The psalm began with one person crying alone. It ends with a crowd. First come David’s own people, gathered for worship. Then the poor, who eat and are satisfied. Then all the families of the nations, the rich, and even those who are dying. Last of all come people who have not been born yet.
Israel’s thank offerings included a shared meal (Leviticus 7:11–16). Many commentators read the vows and meal in verses 25–26 against that background: one person’s thanksgiving becomes an occasion for others to eat.
The story keeps moving outward until it reaches “a people yet unborn.” That includes us. Three thousand years later, we are still being told what God did.
You may have something hopeful to share today. You may also still need someone else to carry the words for you. Both are fine. There is room in this crowd for people who are still listening.
The letter to the Hebrews quotes Psalm 22:22 and puts it in Jesus’ mouth: “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” The psalm’s turn to praise becomes Jesus’ own praise, sung among the people He saves. Hebrews says He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.
On the cross, just before He died, Jesus said, “It is finished.” John does not say that Jesus was quoting the psalm, but many Christians hear an echo of the psalm’s last words, “He has done it,” in that cry. Read both passages, then answer.
List the people named in verses 22–29. How wide does the circle of praise grow?
Add a note
Read verse 24. What does it say God did not do, and what did He do?
Add a note
Who will be told about God in verses 30 and 31?
Add a note
In Hebrews 2:11–12, what does Jesus call the people He makes holy?
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Follow the circle outward: the assembly, the poor, the families of the nations, the rich, the dying, and people not yet born.
In verse 24, look for the word “not.” Then look for what God did instead.
One way someone answered
The circle grows from David’s people in the assembly to the poor, all the families of the nations, the rich, those who go down to the dust, and people not yet born. God did not despise or scorn the suffering of the afflicted one, and He did not hide His face. He listened to his cry for help. Future generations will be told what He has done. Hebrews says Jesus calls them brothers and sisters, and He is not ashamed of them.
Hebrew insight
Verse 22 says David will praise God “in the assembly.” The Hebrew word is qahal (קהל), the gathered people of God. Verse 25 speaks of “the great assembly.” David cried out alone. He praises with others.
The psalm ends with ki ʿasah (כי עשה): “for He has done it.” The verb ʿasah means to do, to make, or to finish a work. The last word of the psalm is about what God did. The prayer that began with “why” ends with “He has done it.”
Psalm 23 comes next in the book of Psalms. The shared meal in Psalm 22 offers a connection to its picture of a table and a home in the house of the LORD.
Talk it over
What would you like to share from this psalm, or ask someone to help you hold on to?
Need a nudge?
Try asking yourself
Pick one thing, not a summary: a verse, a question still open, or one day that stayed with you.
Is it something to share, or something you need someone else to hold for you this week? Both are allowed.
Who is the person? If no one comes to mind, the closing page says how to reach someone at Global Mission Support.
One way someone answered
The thing I want to share is verse 24, that God did not hide his face from the one who suffered. The thing I need someone to hold is that my prayer still sounds like verse 1 most days. I do not have a finished story. My friend from the Tuesday group would understand, so I am going to send her verse 24 and tell her which day was hardest. If she asks how I am, I am going to tell her the truth.
What would you like to share from this psalm, or ask someone to help you hold on to?
One action
Tell one trusted person something you noticed in Psalm 22: a reason for hope, an open question, or a request for company. You do not need a finished story. If no one is available, write down what you would like to share. You may also contact Global Mission Support. If you are in danger, contact local emergency services first.
Add a noteNeed a nudge?
Try asking yourself
One person, one thing you noticed. If no one is available today, write it down to send later, or write to Global Mission Support. If you are in danger, local emergency help comes first.
One prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You that You are not ashamed of those You call Your brothers and sisters. Help us make room for one another’s praise and one another’s tears.
The psalm moved from a cry to a crowd. Your own prayer may still sound like the first verse, and that is all right. You can finish these readings before you finish grieving. Go back to the words you need, and let others keep you company when you can.
Sources and notes
A direct quotation
Hebrews 2:12 quotes Psalm 22:22 and applies it to Jesus. This is the main New Testament connection for today.
The meanings of ʿasah follow Brown–Driver–Briggs. John 19:30 uses different words, and John does not say that Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:31. The connection is a Christian reflection on Jesus’ finished work.
Leviticus 7:11–16 describes the fellowship offering given in thanksgiving or to fulfill a vow, which was eaten as a meal. Many commentators read Psalm 22:25–26 in this light. The psalm itself does not describe the ceremony.
My name is J. A. Tomlinson. I wrote this study for people who feel forsaken, small, or ashamed. It is a companion to my study of Psalm 23, Anxious Sheep, Faithful Shepherd. In the Bible, Psalm 22 comes just before Psalm 23. One begins with a cry in the dark. The next begins with “The LORD is my shepherd.”
Psalm 22 is the psalm Jesus prayed from the cross. It begins with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and ends with “He has done it!” In seven days we will walk through it from the first verse to the last.
This study does not promise that seven days will end your pain. It shows you, one part of the psalm at a time, how to bring that pain to God. Some days you will recognize yourself in the psalm. Other days you may not. Bring the prayer you can honestly pray, even if it is the same prayer you brought yesterday.
Begin with the psalm
Before Day 1, read all of Psalm 22. It takes about five minutes. Do not try to solve every question. Notice who is speaking, what he asks for, and where the prayer changes. The heading calls it “a psalm of David,” and this study follows that heading.
If you only have five minutes, read the verse and do the Day Anchor. That counts as the day. If you miss a day, continue from the day you missed. You do not need to catch up.
Keep a journal or use the note boxes. Sharing is your choice. Nobody needs to tell a painful story to take part.
When you finish a day, the study marks it as read. That is all it means. Your pain does not have to be healed by the time you finish.
The verse: One verse from the psalm and one question about what it says.
Opening thought: A reflection that connects the psalm with everyday life.
Alongside the Gospels: A New Testament passage to read beside that part of the psalm, with some background.
Look for yourself: Questions to answer from the passages before you read further. If you get stuck, open “Need a nudge?” to see one way someone answered.
Hebrew insight: A Hebrew word or phrase from the psalm, explained in plain words.
Talk it over and the Day Anchor: One question, one action, and one prayer.
Sources and notes: At the end of each day, for readers who want to check the details. They show where each fact comes from and which ideas are interpretation.
If you are not sure what you believe
Read it anyway. This psalm gives words to anyone who has felt that God is far away. Pray as honestly as you can, even if your prayer begins, “If You are there.” You can also just listen for now.
A word about suffering
Some pain needs more than a devotional. If grief, fear, or harm is affecting your sleep, your health, your safety, or your daily life, talk with a pastor, a counselor, or a doctor. Asking for that help is an act of faith. This study is not a substitute for pastoral, counseling, or medical care.
If you are in danger, or you may act on thoughts of ending your life, contact local emergency services or a crisis line now, and tell someone near you.
About the crimson worm
On Day 3 you will meet the Hebrew word for “worm” in verse 6. The same word was used for the scarlet dye of the tabernacle, which came from a small insect that lives on oak trees. Some preachers have drawn a picture of the cross from that insect’s life. Day 3 explains what the Bible says, what scientists have found, and which parts are a picture, so you can enjoy the illustration without mistaking it for proof. The study’s connections to Jesus rest on the Bible passages themselves.
Reading with care and respect
Psalm 22 was a prayer of Israel long before Christians read it beside the cross. This study reads it as Christians do, because Mark, John, and Hebrews use it to speak about Jesus. Jewish readers understand the psalm differently, and we want to describe our reading honestly and respectfully.
The accounts of Jesus’ death describe particular people and particular choices. They must never be used to blame the Jewish people or to justify hostility toward them. Jesus said that no one took His life from Him. He laid it down of His own accord (John 10:18).
Your notes and drafts stay in this browser and do not sync to other devices. Browser data can be cleared or lost, and private browsing is not suitable for keeping reflections. Anyone with access to this browser may be able to read them.
In “My reflections,” choose “Download a backup” for a restorable copy or “Export reflections as text” for a readable copy. Keep a backup before clearing browser data or changing devices.
Audio is paused in this review build. The reader uses no tracking or outside fonts.
After Psalm 22
Before you go on
Go back to the prayer you wrote on Day 1 and what you added on Day 6. What is true now? You may see help. You may still be waiting. You may be carrying both at once.
Finishing these seven days does not mean every question is answered. Keep returning to the parts of the psalm that help you pray honestly.
Your next study
Psalm 23 comes right after Psalm 22. My study Anxious Sheep, Faithful Shepherd spends seven days with it, one line at a time. Psalm 22 ended with the poor eating and being satisfied. Psalm 23 begins with a Shepherd whose sheep lack nothing, and it ends with a table and a home.
Jesus called Himself the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). This week you watched Him lay it down. In Psalm 23 you will learn to follow Him.
If you have questions about this study, or you would like help finding a church, write to Global Mission Support. If you are in danger or in crisis, get help nearby right away. Do not wait for an email reply.
