United Church of Christ Daily Devotional 2nd July 2025, Wednesday Message
We All Lament
By Martha Spong
But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! – Psalm 22:19-21 (NRSV)
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Like so many psalms, the 22nd is a cry to God for help. It’s also the psalm that is read in full every Good Friday, and its first verse the one Jesus offers from the cross in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark: “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me!” Those words speak to us as we picture Jesus in physical agony; they may also speak to a way we, too, have felt at times.
When we feel abandoned, we all lament.
When we feel threatened, we all lament.
When we feel persecuted, we all lament.
Why has God forsaken us?
From that first plea, the psalm describes the suffering – mental, emotional, and physical – of the one who is praying. Evildoers surround the sufferer, casting lots for their belongings. Then there are the physical threats: a sword, a dog, a lion!
With every peril, there is an undertone of psychological struggle. The psalmist describes the most foundational and primal emotions: the sword suggests a fearful mind; the dog, seen as low and disgusting, points to shame; and the lion describes anger that might consume us.
How many of us have prayed about such things? How many! It is a question and a testimony.
However you are feeling today, whatever prayer might come from your lips, you are not alone in praying it.
Prayer
Holy One, when the struggle is inside us, please, come close and be with us. Hear us when we all lament. Amen.
About the AuthorMartha Spong is a UCC pastor, a clergy coach, and editor of The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, from The Pilgrim Press.
