Prayer Book - Psalm 22

Art by Kris Anne Baker, www.krisannebaker.com

My God, my God, why have You turned Your back on me?
    Your ears are deaf to my groans.
O my God, I cry all day and You are silent;
    my tears in the night bring no relief.

Still, You are holy;
    You make Your home on the praises of Israel.
Our mothers and fathers trusted in You;
    they trusted, and You rescued them.
They cried out to You for help and were spared;
    they trusted in You and were vindicated.

But I am a worm and not a human being,
    a disgrace and an object of scorn.
Everyone who sees me laughs at me  
They whisper to one another I’m a loser; they sneer and mock me, saying,
“He relies on the Eternal; let the Eternal rescue him
    and keep him safe because He is happy with him.”

But You are the One who granted me life;
    You endowed me with trust as I nursed at my mother’s breast.
I was dedicated to You at birth;
    You’ve been my God from my mother’s womb.
Stay close to me—
    trouble is at my door;
    no one else can help me.

I’m surrounded by many tormenters;
    like strong bulls of Bashan, they circle around me with their taunts.
They open their mouths wide at me
    like ravenous, roaring lions.

My life is poured out like water,
    and all my bones have slipped out of joint.
My heart melts like wax inside me.
My strength is gone, dried up like shards of pottery;
    my dry tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    You lay me in the dust of death.

A throng of evil ones has surrounded me
    like a pack of wild dogs;
They pierced my hands and ripped a hole in my feet.
I count all my bones;
    people gawk and stare at me.
They make a game out of dividing my clothes among themselves;
    they cast lots for the clothes on my back.

But You, O Eternal, stay close;
    O You, my help, hurry to my side.
Save my life from violence,
    my sweet life from the teeth of the wild dog.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lion.
    From the horns of the wild oxen, You responded to my plea.

I will speak Your Name to my brothers and sisters
    when I praise You in the midst of the community.
You who revere the Eternal, praise Him—
    descendants of Jacob, worship Him;
    be struck with wonder before Him, all you children of Israel.
He’s not put off
    by the suffering of the suffering one;
He doesn’t pretend He hasn’t seen him;
    when he pleaded for help, He listened.

You stir my praise in the great assembly;
    I will fulfill my vows before those who humble their hearts before Him.
Those who are suffering will eat and be nourished;
    those who seek Him will praise the Eternal.
    May your hearts beat strong forever!
Those from the farthest reaches of the earth will remember
    and turn back to look for the Eternal;
All the families of the nations
    will worship You.
The Eternal owns the world;
    He exercises His gentle rule over all the nations.

All the wealthy of the world will eat and worship;
    all those who fall in the dust will bow before Him,
    even the life that is headed to the grave.
Our children will serve Him;
    future generations will hear the story of how the Lord rescued us.
They will tell the generations to come
    of the righteousness of the Lord,
    of what He has done.

-Psalm 22 (VOICE)

Here is another Psalm to pray, for today.  The Voice adds italic words(1), for better understanding of the text.  The highest form of worship is lament.  Blessings.

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The artwork above as found here, and is by Kris Anne Baker

1. "Italic type indicates words not directly tied to the dynamic translation of the original language. These words bring out the nuance of the original, assist in completing ideas, and often provide readers with information that would have been obvious to the original audience. These additions are meant to help the modern reader better understand the text without having to stop and read footnotes or a study guide."