Psalm 22:1
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Psalm 22 begins in deep anguish and moves toward triumphant praise. Its opening cry was spoken by Jesus on the cross, and the psalm vividly foreshadows His suffering.
What Does Psalm 22:1 Mean?
Psalm 22:1 opens with one of the most agonized cries in all of Scripture: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" These are the very words Jesus spoke from the cross, making this psalm one of the most striking in the Bible. The verse gives voice to the experience of feeling utterly abandoned by God in the midst of deep suffering.
Notice that even in his anguish, David still says "My God, my God." The repetition is both desperate and intimate; the one who feels forsaken still claims God as his own and addresses Him directly. This is faith crying out in the dark, not faith abandoned. The question "why" is not a demand for a debate but the honest pain of a heart that cannot understand why God seems so distant. "Why art thou so far from helping me" expresses the felt absence of God's rescue, and "the words of my roaring" pictures a cry so deep it can barely be put into words. Remarkably, the Bible places this raw lament in its songbook, showing that such honesty has a place in the life of faith. When Jesus took these words on His lips, He entered fully into human suffering and abandonment. For anyone who has felt forsaken, this verse offers permission to bring even that cry to God, who does not turn away from honest grief.
In the Original Language
The word 'azavtani, "forsaken me," means to leave, abandon, or let go; the doubled "my God" ('Eli 'Eli) keeps the address intimate even amid the sense of abandonment.
Cross References
“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
- Matthew 27:46
“For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him.”
- Psalm 22:24
“I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
- Psalm 42:9
Application
When you feel abandoned by God, follow David's example by bringing your honest cry directly to Him, still claiming Him as your God even when His presence feels far away.