My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? —Psalm 22:1
Psalm 22 foretells the supreme moment in the life of the Son of David: the redemption of sinful man through the sacrifice of the sinless, unblemished Lamb of God.
It appears, then, that Jesus was actually meditating on this psalm while hanging on the cross. He may, in fact, have recited the entire passage from beginning to end in His mind. After all, answering life with Scripture seemed to be His pattern. We know He quoted Scripture when He was tempted in the wilderness, when He was responding to questions from His opponents, when He was teaching His disciples. Why not when He was suffering for the sins of His lost and dying people?
What a vivid reminder to us of the importance of Scripture memory and meditation, particularly for times of extreme crisis and suffering. As we fill our hearts with His Word, preserving its truths in our minds, when we find ourselves in the midst of painful realities, His Word will be there to minister the comfort and perspective of His far greater, eternal realities.
Make it Personal
When faced with difficult situations, do your thoughts go quickly to His Word? How can you be intentional today about meditating on Scripture?