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Background
Psalm 22, written by King David nearly a thousand years before the birth of Christ, is one of the clearest and most powerful prophecies of Jesus’ crucifixion. Though it begins with the haunting cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—the very words Jesus spoke from the Cross—it goes on to describe in astonishing detail the events of the Passion centuries before crucifixion was even practiced.
The psalm foretells the mocking of the crowd (“All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads”), the piercing of hands and feet (“They have pierced my hands and my feet”), and even the casting of lots for His clothing (“They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my robe”). It speaks of thirst, bones being out of joint, and surrounding enemies like lions and dogs—imagery that perfectly matches the Roman execution and the jeering mob at Calvary.
Yet, Psalm 22 doesn’t end in despair. It turns into a declaration of trust, victory, and redemption, proclaiming that “all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord.” This points to the resurrection and the global spread of faith in Christ. In essence, Psalm 22 shows that Jesus’ suffering was not random—it was foretold, purposeful, and fulfilled to reveal God’s plan of salvation through love and sacrifice.
Inspiration
In the telling of Christ’s Crucifixion, one of the most powerful lines uttered, is when Christ, nailed to the Cross and Dying, cries out “My God, My God… Why Have You Forsaken Me? Most people often do not understand it… or attribute it to Christ feeling abandoned by the Father. In many ways, the Church has done a poor job in explaining this to most people. It was actually a Victory Cry! It completely fulfilled Psalm 22, written 1,000 years before Christ was born. It was the final act required of the Messiah, The Son of God in the Old Testament. So even on the verge of death, he quoted scripture and completed what was prophesized.
So, I prayed upon how to convey this important Psalm to people who would not ordinarily read it. I stylized this song, similiar to Jesus Christ Superstar. In a way, I think people could relate, understand and feel the emotion.
Prayer / Song Lyrics
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!