The Prayer of Jesus from the Cross

January 22 2015  -Psalm 22

My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?  Why have you left me on this cross?  You are so far from helping me.  You do not hear my cry for help.  

You are my Father and I have called out to You by day, but You didn’t answer.  And by night, I find no rest for my eyes and no quiet for my soul.

But You are Holy and enthroned in the Holy place where the praises of Your people are heard.  You are high above us.  And I know You know what You are doing.

For so much longer than I our fathers have trusted, leaned one, relied on and were confident in You.  They trusted You in the darkest of times and either here or there with You, You rescued them.

They cried out to You and were delivered; they trust in You and they were never disappointed or ashamed.

But here I am on this cross, dying.  Treated as a worm, insignificant and powerless, not treated with dignity as a man should be.  I am the scorn of these men and despised by these people I created.  All who see me laugh at me and mock me.  The openly insult me, they shake their head, saying, “He said He was the Son of God.  He committed Himself to his ‘Father’ in heaven and trusted Him.  Let His Father save Him now.  If He is loved by God then let God save Him.”

Yet I know, Father You are He who pulled me out of Mary’s womb, You made me trust in You when on my mother’s breasts.  I was in Your arms at my birth.  Since I was a newborn You have been my God.   Do not stay far away, for trouble is near me and there is no one else to help.

Many enemies surround me like they are vicious herd of bulls.  They roar at me like a hungry lion.

My life is poured out and ebbing away, soaking into the earth.  My bones are all out of joint and my heart melts like wax by the heat of the anguish within me.  My strength is dried up like a piece of broken, jagged clay and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.  

You have laid me in the dust of death.

This pack of dogs has surrounded me and this brutal gang of thugs has encircled me.  

They have pierced my hands and feet.  I can feel the ache of each of my bones.

The crowd just stares.

They are so callous as they watch me die that they even gamble for my clothes.  

But I know that You are still there. You are my Help.  Come quickly, Lord to assist Your Son.  Rescue me from this death by their sword.  The executioner thinks he has the ultimate power over me but with You by y side I know that he does not.  Save me from the lion’s mouth.  Save me from the horns of the wild oxen.  You will hear my cry and deliver me from death.  I will tell Your Name to my countrymen!  I will praise You in the midst of an unbelieving crowd.  

You who fear the Lord with awe-inspired reverence, praise Him!  All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him.  Submit Your lives to this Great King in wonder, all you children of Israel.

For He has not despised nor detested the suffering of the afflicted.  No has He hidden his Face from the tortured.  But when I cry to Him for help He hears with heard of compassion.  

My praise will be about You!  When I am resurrected I will celebrate in the House of my God.  I will pay my vows which were made in the time of trouble before those who reverently fear my God.  

Those starving now will eat and be satisfied.  Those who do not give up and who diligently seek Him and require Him as their greatest need in life will be the ones staniding on their feet praising the LORD.  

May your hearts live forever!  You will celebrate with people all over the earth as we all remember to turn to the Lord.  All the families of all the nations will bow down and worship before You, For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’s and He rules over the nations.

All the one who prosper in the Lord will will eat at a lavish banquet and and worship Him!  All those who go down to the dead now will be raised and will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive right now.  Posterity will serve Him and the resurrected one will tell of the Lord to the next generation.

And when the next generation heard of all that God has done they will come and declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born—that God has done it.

And that it is finished!