Key Verse:

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”

— Psalm 22:1

Rooted Truth:

Holy anguish gives voice to pain without surrendering hope in God.

Faith Story:

Psalm 22 opens with words that feel raw, unsettling, and painfully honest. The psalmist does not soften the cry or hide the anguish. He asks the question that rises from the depths of suffering: “Why?”

Yet this cry is not unbelief. It is faith speaking honestly.

Notice where the psalmist directs his anguish—not inward, not toward despair, not away from God—but to God. He does not walk away in silence; he cries out in prayer.

Holy anguish does not pretend everything is fine. It refuses shallow answers and easy platitudes. It brings the full weight of pain into the presence of God.

What makes this psalm remarkable is that anguish does not have the final word. Even in the opening verses, the psalmist anchors himself in memory:

“Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.”

This is the tension of holy anguish—honest pain held together with remembered faithfulness.

Jesus Himself would later quote this psalm from the cross. In the darkest moment of suffering, He cried out to the Father, fulfilling Scripture and revealing that even anguish can be an act of trust.

Crying out does not mean you have lost hope. Sometimes it is the clearest evidence that hope is still alive.

God does not rebuke cries born from faith. He receives them. He listens. And He meets us in the place where pain and trust intersect.

Scripture for Deeper Roots:

Psalm 13:1–2 – “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD?”

Lamentations 3:55–57 – “I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon…”

Hebrews 5:7 – “Who in the days of his flesh… offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears…”

Daily Practice:

Bring your honest questions before God today—without censoring them.

Pray simply:

“Lord, I trust You enough to tell You how much this hurts.”

Daily Prayer:

Faithful God, You see my pain and You hear my cries. Help me bring my anguish to You instead of carrying it alone. When my heart is overwhelmed, remind me of Your faithfulness. Hold my hope steady, even when the answers feel far away.

Amen.

Deep Reflection:

• What questions or cries have you been holding back from God?

• How does Psalm 22 show the difference between despair and honest faith?

• What does it look like to trust God while still hurting?

#DeeplyRooted #DailyRenewed

Devotions for a Grounded and Growing Faith