For he has not despised or scorned
Psalm 22:24 NIV
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus cried out these words from the cross (Matt. 27:46). But they are also the opening words of this psalm, which very clearly pictures what Jesus went through on the cross. And Jesus’ cry from the cross referred not just to this line, but to the whole psalm, including this verse. While it appeared God had abandoned him, he knew that was not the case. God heard him when he cried out through his suffering (Heb. 5:7). And God brought him through it.
And what was true of Jesus is just as true of each of God’s people. None of us have gone through what Jesus did. But each of us does experience times when it seems like God is far away or has even abandoned us. Times when we cry out for help, but that help does not come. At least not in the time and form that we hoped for.
But God does hear us when we cry out to him. God will never abandon his children. We may not see him or understand what he is doing for us. But we can trust that he is the potter, molding and shaping us into his masterpiece. That process can be painful at times. And we will not always understand what he is doing or why he is doing it. But we can trust that he loves and cares for us, regardless of how it might seem during those challenging times. So hold tightly to him, especially when the going is hard.
