Psalm 22

This Psalm is quoted all throughout the New Testament. The opening is one of Jesus' last words on the cross. The description of David's persecution matches frame-for-frame the crucifixion, so much so that the Gospels quote this Psalm yet again in describing the crucifixion scene. Hebrews will quote from the latter portion of the psalm in describing the wonder and uniqueness of Jesus. And while this psalm connects with Jesus so much, it also connects with us as well. Anyone who knows the pain of depression or anxiety knows the feeling David is talking about. The physical and emotional pain, and the collapse of hope. Toward the end, we get a glimpse of hope that David has for the future, and we can certainly see how that connects with Jesus' story of resurrection.

It seems to me that this psalm is a remarkable instance where the story of Jesus collides with my story (and your story). When we are in our darkest moments, and this psalm makes too much sense, we can know that Jesus entered into this mess and went through his own dark moments. Jesus stands by us in our dark moments, and Jesus will not leave between dark moments. The Kingdom of God is not for fake happy faces, the Kingdom of God is described by Jesus as a place for the sick- where we can all receive care.