Embrace Prayer: Forsakenness Prayer

Christ is risen!!
He is risen indeed!

We’ve spent the week immersing ourselves in the stories of Jesus’ final days on earth, and if we’ve read the words written in the Gospels with any sort of openness, emotions have run high – shock and surprise, anger and angst, grief upon grief. Our feelings might be sourced by our empathy for Christ’s plight. They might also come from our depths of sorrow at having been (at least) part of the reason He allowed Himself to endure such pain. 

They might also come from the heart-wrenching awareness of the way Jesus embraced His actual emotions at each turn of His suffering – on our behalf. From His weeping in Bethany over Lazarus’ death to His great sorrow and dread in Gethsemane, we’ve seen Jesus as human. 

Though today is THE DAY of our Christian celebration of total victory – Jesus lives! He defeated death and rose from the grave!!! – our seventh Jesus Prayer happens while Jesus is on the cross. Which is a strange place to be on Resurrection Day.

Yet, here we are.

Jesus hanging on a cross. Barely clinging to life and burdened with the agony of nails and thorns and labored breathing – as well as with the gut-punching pain of betrayal. He can see near the cross Mary of Magdalene, His mother, other faithful women, and the beloved disciple, John. And He speaks, asking John to take care of His mother (John 19:25-27). For hours He hangs there awaiting death when the words of another Jesus Prayer flow from His bloodied mouth:

“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Matthew 27:46

Of all the Jesus Prayers, this one might be the most difficult to reconcile. There has certainly been much theological debate throughout the centuries over the meaning behind these words. Yet, it’s when we take-in the fact that this is a prayer, as well as a direct quote from the Psalms, that we can begin to have some clarity – and further shaping of our own lives of prayer.

Feeling Forsaken

A popular interpretation of Jesus’ prayer of forsakenness is that God turned His face, or back, on His Son because Jesus was covered in our sins. But something about that has never sat well with me. It doesn’t fit that the God who is good, who is love, who is unchanging and faithful would abandon the One He sent for this very moment.

So, when I read JD Walt’s suggestion that perhaps Jesus simply felt forsaken, something in me clicked.¹ Soon after I read his post, Ash Wednesday rolled around and I began writing about these Jesus Prayers, as well as watching The Chosen and reading the Wake Up Call’s Lent series. And they’ve all worked together to open my eyes!

Jesus felt feelings. 

In His humanity, He experienced every disappointment and discouragement. He felt the weight of being the only one on the planet who ‘got’ God’s vision and way of bringing His Kingdom to the earth. His heart stung with grief, and His body reacted to the stress of knowing His death on a cross loomed near. 

And while He hung on the cross, He felt forsaken by God. Just as we can…

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

Psalm 22:1-2

Anguish + Hope

The Psalmist who penned the very words Jesus spoke on the cross knew suffering. He endured the crushing anguish of not hearing from God. We can relate.

But here’s a truth I’ve been learning for several years now – what we feel is real, but it’s not always truth. I can weep with great grief over a lost child, and that feeling is real. Even the lostness is true. But as I lament to God, sending up prayer after prayer after prayer to (what feels like) no avail, I’m tempted to lose heart. I’m tempted to believe God doesn’t care, that He isn’t listening – that He has forsaken me. It’s how it feels…²

Yet, woven throughout God’s Word is a promise that speaks truth to feelings of forsakenness. God says: “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5). 

So while we can feel forsaken, we are never actually forsaken by God. Just as Jesus was not.

Several verses of Psalm 22 show us the absolute beauty of what it looks like to bring our anguish of forsakenness to the Lord and lay it at His feet, to pick up Truth and find hope. In one moment we’re crying out to God asking why He has forsaken us – the next, we speak Truth. And hope:

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
 …For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

Psalm 22:3-5,23-24

God didn’t hide His face from Jesus. Nor will He us.

God’s Plans!

Jesus may have felt forsaken on the cross. And to those watching His death, it probably appeared the same way. In fact, His death could have looked like unanswered prayer to some. But we know the truth. God never leaves those who love Him. Though Jesus’ mockers celebrated the appearance of such forsakenness, God was with Jesus. The plan was still in motion. There was more to come! Resurrection! Ascension! The Holy Spirit! The Church! The Psalmist gives us a glimpse:

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

Psalm 22:29-31

Friends, when the agony of life crushes us,³ it can feel as though God isn’t listening or doesn’t care or won’t come near. In those moments, we can overcome the temptation to give-in to our feelings of forsakenness by thinking of Jesus, who never doubted God, who never veered off the path no matter how He felt. We can think of the Psalmist, who admitted to feeling forsaken then shifted his focus to praising God and speaking his faith into being – God always listens! God is always near! God is always faithful! 

As we celebrate this Easter Sunday, it’s important for us to carry this heavy moment of the cross with us – because its bitterness makes Resurrection Day all the sweeter, because we now see what we couldn’t on Good Friday. God’s plans prevail! Even when it seems He has left the world to its own devices, He has not forsaken us.

This Jesus Prayer can shape our lives of prayer. When we feel forsaken, we can speak Jesus’ words and recall that our Savior has been in the same pit we are. Then we, like the Psalmist, can fix our eyes on God and praise Him – no matter how we feel! As we give God all glory and thanks, our minds and hearts shift from ourselves and our circumstances to the One who holds the wisdom of all ages. We’ll find that speaking truths about who God is builds our faith. Thus tethered we are able to re-enter our unchanged situations anchored by truth, buoyed by trust in God who never leaves us, who never forsakes us.

Christ is risen! And that very truth is proof that God is who He says He is. He sent us His Savior, the One who endured much so that we will be able to, as well.

Risen Lord, teach us to pray!

Father God, You are faithful. In You only goodness and love abide. Your heart is for your people, and your ways are for our good. So in those moments or seasons when we feel so abandoned by You, we ask your Spirit to remind us of the promises You have spoken over us – You go before us; You are with us; You will never abandon us. Even when we’re tempted to give-in to our feelings of forsakenness, Father, we remember that You will never let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and that You’ll always give us a way out. You’ll help us endure those bleak feelings, and we will praise You for your faithfulness! Thank You for giving us Jesus – the One who endured betrayal, rejection, and the cross so that your plans could be fulfilled! Thank You for the truth that the cross was always part of the plan – but not the end of it!! May Jesus’ prayers in the midst of pain be a light in our darkness and a beacon of hope that there is more to come! We rejoice in your victory today. Our hallelujahs rise to You in heaven as we celebrate the Risen Christ! And we give You all the glory for sticking with Jesus and with us through every trial and test, every temptation and terror. You never leave us. You never forsake us. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ most holy name we pray, amen!
(inspired by Psalm 100:5; 1 John 4:8; Romans 8:31; Deuteronomy 31:8; Isaiah 41:10; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.

• 1 – JD Walt’s Wake Up Call post about the seventh Jesus Prayer is worth a read!
• 2 – The Psalmist paints pictures with his words, portraying just how bad we might feel – all of which is very real and also reflects how Christ felt at the moment he prayed this particular Jesus Prayer:
  • “Many bulls surround me;
        strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
    Roaring lions that tear their prey
        open their mouths wide against me.
    I am poured out like water,
        and all my bones are out of joint.
    My heart has turned to wax;
        it has melted within me.
    My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
        and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
        you lay me in the dust of death.” (Psalm 22:12-15)
• 3 – There is an incredible scene in The Chosen that illustrates how pressed and crushed Jesus felt when His disciples continued to misunderstand Him as His death drew near. With few words, the scene plays out with Jesus wandering in emotional prayer till He ends up at Zebedee’s new olive press. Over and over, with excruciating awareness, we sense the crushing Jesus feels each time the press is weighted and squeezed. The metaphorical, outward display helps us grasp a bit of what Jesus felt. Then the craziest thing happens – but I won’t tell you in case you want to watch for yourself. It’s wonderfully weepy, and a sign that God sees and hears all, that He’s always with us even when He doesn’t fix the situation the way we’d prefer. Here’s a clip of the scene, but I recommend the entire episode as it’ll give context for the ending of the scene (Season 4, Episode 4) – but really, the entire series. XOXO
• Psalm 22 has some incredible imagery that prophesies the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. So as with everything else Jesus said and did – there were layers of purpose in His quote of Psalm 22. Here are two of those prophetic pictures: 
  • “But I am a worm and not a man,
        scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
    All who see me mock me;
        they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
    “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
        “let the Lord rescue him.
    Let him deliver him,
        since he delights in him.” (Psalm 22:6-10 – compare Matthew 27:27-31, 39-44)
  • “Dogs surround me,
        a pack of villains encircles me;
        they pierce my hands and my feet.
    All my bones are on display;
        people stare and gloat over me.
    They divide my clothes among them
        and cast lots for my garment. (Psalm 22:16-21 – compare Matthew 27:35)
• When I chose songs for our Spotify playlist, Embrace Prayer, I had Lent in mind. So as we worship our Risen Savior today and every day to come, let’s soak ourselves in truths from Scripture and hymns such as “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death.” As we sing, we remember that because “God is good,” our troubled souls can be calmed. We sing the truth: God’s “grace and goodness” is “in our great Redeemer’s blood!” And — Jesus “holds our faith when fears arise;” He “stands above the stormy trial.” This is the “rock of Christ!” “Our hope springs eternal” because “Christ is our hope in life and death.”
• Each Wednesday I upload a “Teacup” teaching video that carries on the topic here. You can find all the videos on my Facebook Author Page, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Many of you have already found me on Substack! Thank you so much! While you’re on Substack, check out the ministry I’m blessed to be part of, the Devoted Collective.
  
  AND…don’t forget if you’d rather listen to these weekly posts, you can now do so on Substack — it’s easy to see and use the audio bar across the top of each post.
• My monthly newsletter, The Abiding Life, goes to email inboxes of those who have subscribed on my website, and I post them on Substack — usually within the first week of the month. My most recent edition can be found there, and you can subscribe for future newsletters on Substack, here.

Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike. This Lent, we’ve put our focus on the rhythm of prayer.

• Today we turn in our Prayer Bibles to Matthew 27:46 to highlight the passage and add our tabs so that we can find it easily. Now we have SEVEN Jesus Prayers we can pray straight out of the Bible!
  
  Though our Jesus Prayer journey still has Christ on the cross, our reality is that Christ is risen!!! And that is the lens we need to read every word of Scripture through! It’s also the lens to see our lives through — our Risen Savior died for us! He conquered death! He brings us life and hope, truth and grace! Our faith in Him means we are His forever — and that’s what we cling to in those dark nights of the soul when we feel so alone, when we might feel forsaken by God. In those moments we lift the truth — God loves us and He will never, ever leave us. Especially not in our darkest times. XOXO
• Something about this season opens people up a little more to hear God’s story and the work of Jesus. One way you can do that is by sharing this site and telling others your own stories of faith experiences. Maybe, just maybe, God will even give us opportunities to pray for people He puts in our paths. I’d love to hear about it when He does!

Featured Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash. “All the Bits and Pieces” photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash.
^Denotes an affiliate link, with which this ministry earns a bit to help it keep going. 😉