Where do you turn when you feel forsaken? David cried in Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” These were the very words that Jesus later used to express His own desolation on the cross. Perhaps you have felt that way before — or do now? Notice something important that happens three times in the course of this Psalm:

Three times in this Psalm of desperation, the writer looks beyond his own understanding of his suffering, to God:

— In verse 3 he says: “Yet You are holy.” Although he did not understand why this was happening to him, one thing he knew: God was not at “fault.” He is holy. As Psalm 119:68 affirms, “You are good and do good.” Despite all he was going through, his feelings, his doubts, YET he affirms his faith in the goodness of God.

— Then again in :9 he proclaims: “Yet You are He who brought me forth from my mother’s womb.” He knew God personally. God had supervised his life from his earliest days, and he knew that God had a purpose for what he was enduring, even if he did not understand it presently.

— And in :19 He cries: “But You, O LORD, be not far off.” Despite his feelings of abandonment and desperation, he knew that God was still the only One who could help him. He did not turn away from God, but continued to look to Him, by faith.

David models for us in Psalm 22 how we should respond in times when we feel forsaken by God: even in the midst of abandonment, continue to look to Him, trusting that He is good, and has an ultimately good purpose in mind. Do not turn away from Him, for it is only in Him that you will ever find meaning and help in those darkest hours.