Why Have You Forsaken Me?

We are continuing with what has been our Lenten journey where we are allowing the Psalms to speak to us and help us understand the role that God plays in our lives and the hope that he offers to each one of us who are willing to journey with him.

Our scripture for today comes from Psalm 22:1-11.

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. z 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

Please pray with me…

The words from this Psalm reminds us of the pain inflicted on Jesus at the cross. It helps us to receive a deeper understanding of how through his actions Jesus is not only fulfilling one of his reasons to come down to earth, to die for our sins, but that he also would allow the Jewish people to flash back to the Old Testament prophesies and to texts such as the one we are focusing on today.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The writer of this Psalm, who is believed to be King David, feels abandoned. He believes that all is lost and that no one cares about him. He even believes he has been abandoned by his God.

For Jesus this is even more personal. Jesus prays to his Father and asks for this cup to be taken from him. He wants a way out, instead he believes that his Father has left him and doesn’t care about him.

Jesus is basically crying out, “why me?”. Why does this have to happen to me and why does it have to occur this way. He seems to be saying “You are God, you should have been able to find another way.”

(Transition)

How many times in our lives do we want to cry out and say the same thing? How many times do we basically ask God “Where are you, why did you allow this to happen to me or to someone we care about?” Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to these questions.

The best answer for us is that we live in a world where things don’t always happen as God would desire, but we do have a God that walks with us through our struggles. God does not forsake us. God loves us so much that he died for us.

I could offer theological answers to your questions of “Why?”. I could tell you that our world had sin enter in and this has led to sometimes life being worse for us instead of better. I could say that not all people are followers of Jesus and therefore sometimes bad things can end up happening to good people.

But just likein the case of the Psalmist or Jesus upon the cross these answers are often not going to ease our pain or lessen our anxiety. They offer answers but not answers that fix our current situation and environment.

(Transition)

We are left with a need to heal from our pain. What we often discover is that emotional healing is harder and takes longer than physical healing. The doctor can often give us a time frame for our physical healing, but our emotional healing seems to take place in its own time.

What we find within scripture is how we can speak to God during these times of struggle. They are called laments. The Oxford dictionary defines lament as a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.

If you are struggling at this time, lament may be a positive way for you to focus on your emotions and remind you that God has not forsaken you. It may offer you a way to lessen the pain you are feeling and allow you to return back to your old self faster. You will have been changed by your experiences, but you can find comfort through turning your pain over to God.

(Transition)

So, how do we lament. We first remember that it is OK to have the feeling we have. It is not fun but if we are angry at God or believe that he has forgotten about us that it is OK to let him know how you are feeling.

How you let God know your feelings can differ from person to person. For some it may mean yelling. For others it may be like having a conversation with God. For some it may be sitting, while for others you may be standing or even laying on the ground. There is no wrong way to lament.

In fact, you may choose that for you the best method is to write out your thoughts. Writing down your struggles to Jesus may be a better way for you to express the feelings and struggles that you are facing. The most important thing is for you to find the way that will best work for you.

One advantage of writing down your lament is that it gives you something to keep as a reminder of where you were at this point in your life. For some it gives them something to tear up or burn as a symbolic way of removing the pain of that event from their life.

Next, let the words flow. Don’t hold back. Say it the way you believe you are supposed to say it. God won’t care how you express your loss or your feelings of him. He just desires to have you share your loss with him because he loves you as you are at this moment.

Lament is personal and can be life changing. In many ways, it is us giving up and telling God that you are giving your biggest struggles in life over to him. It is us trusting God that through our lament he will help us discover what I like to call our new normal.

(Transition)

We can also end up helping others through their times of struggle. We should choose to be there for those that need us when they have something in their lives that is holding them back. One way that we can help is to help them understand what it means to lament and help them do that if they aren’t already aware of how to do it.

If they are willing to try, ask them if they want you in the room or if they want you to leave. It is possible that they may need support. You may be the person they need in order to help them overcome this obstacle in their life.

They may also choose to be alone. This may be a very vulnerable time for them. They may want to be alone in their time with God. Make sure to let them know you will be there for them when they are done.

Lastly, whatcvhappens as you assist someone else through lament is that it stays between them and you. You not only need to protect what is said, you also cannot be disappointed in the way someone expresses their discontent. The personvcmay use language you did not expect. You need to not respond in any negative manner to what they say or do.

(Transition)

You may have something that has happened or that is currently happening in which you are struggling and may have a feeling of hopelessness. Let God help you through this. Trust that he wants to hear from you and be there for you.

What we also know is that God is at work in the worst of circumstances that are occurring to us or around us. Let yourself feel his peace. Give yourself over to him and allow him to work within you and around you.

Let us pray…