S4: Week 30 Day 1: Annotating Psalm 22

Summary

A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace

Episode: Season 4, Week 30, Day 1: Annotating Psalm 22
Release Date: July 21, 2025
Host: Alexa
Co-host: Katie
Study Plan: Christ in All Scripture

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Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of "A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace," hosted by Alexa and her co-host Katie, the focus is on Season 4 of the "Christ in All Scripture" reading plan. The Daily Grace Co. guides listeners through a comprehensive study that connects passages from both the Old and New Testaments, revealing how every part of the Bible points to Jesus Christ.

Alexa introduces the session by outlining the week's approach: exploring Psalm 22:1-2 from the Old Testament and Matthew 27:45-50 from the New Testament. The primary objective is to understand how Jesus’ cry of despair on the cross mirrors the Psalmist's anguish, thereby encouraging believers to express their own pain to God.

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Reading the Passage

Katie takes the lead in reading the selected scripture:

Psalm 22:1-2 (Katie):
"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer;
by night, but I find no rest."

This poignant passage sets the stage for a deep exploration of suffering, divine presence, and the human experience of feeling abandoned.

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Annotating Psalm 22:1-2

Alexa's Insights:

Alexa shares her experience with the annotation process:

"[00:17] Alexa: ...I found that the first two prompts were challenging, especially those asking us to highlight any words or phrases that point to Christ and to note God's attributes in the text."

She highlights the phrase "my God," emphasizing the personal relationship Jesus has with God the Father:

"[01:20] Alexa: 'My God' captures the intimacy Jesus has with God. Additionally, through Christ’s salvation, believers can call God 'my God,' reflecting a personal relationship facilitated by Jesus."

Alexa also draws a direct connection between Psalm 22:1-2 and Matthew 27:45-50, illustrating how Jesus fulfills the prophecy and experiences comparable anguish:

"[01:20] Alexa: ...I highlighted the phrase 'why have you abandoned me' at verse one and drew an arrow to Matthew 27:45-50, showing this New Testament passage's specific connection to Psalm 22."

Katie's Response:

Katie acknowledges the difficulty of the task but appreciates the depth it brings to understanding Scripture:

"[02:48] Katie: I love the suspense there. This week's annotation is hard, but Scripture and the Psalms help us remember we're not alone in our struggles."

She emphasizes that even when reality feels contrary to God's presence, the Psalms provide solace and truth.

Further Discussion on God's Attributes:

Alexa delves into the attributes of God as inferred from the passage, despite the Psalmist’s feelings of abandonment:

"[03:24] Alexa: While the verses don’t explicitly state God's attributes, we can infer His omnipresence and imminence. Even when it feels like God is distant, His presence remains constant."

Katie concurs, reinforcing the idea that God’s eternal presence is a source of hope:

"[04:06] Katie: Exactly. Even in difficult passages, God’s attributes like omnipresence reassure us of His constant presence."

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Connecting the Old and New Testaments

The core of this episode lies in understanding how Psalm 22 foreshadows Jesus’ crucifixion as depicted in Matthew 27:45-50. Alexa and Katie explore the profound connection between the Old Testament prophecy and its New Testament fulfillment, illustrating the seamless narrative that points to Christ as the center of the biblical story.

Alexa remarks on the challenge of approaching familiar passages from a purely observational standpoint, highlighting the depth of study required to uncover Christ-centered themes:

"[01:20] Alexa: Approaching these passages observationally was tough, but it allowed me to see the layers of meaning that point directly to Jesus."

Katie adds that such studies not only reveal Christ’s presence but also provide a framework for believers to express their own struggles and find hope:

"[02:48] Katie: The Psalms show real feelings, reminding us we're not alone even when we feel distant from God."

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Conclusion and Encouragement

As the episode wraps up, Alexa and Katie encourage listeners to continue their study and reflection:

"[04:06] Katie: We're not alone in finding this passage challenging, but through study, we gain hope and a deeper understanding of God's word."

Alexa reiterates the importance of engaging with the study materials and staying connected through their platforms for ongoing support and resources:

"[04:29] Alexa: Check out our show notes and follow us on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement."

They sign off with a promise to delve deeper into Psalm 22 in the coming episodes, fostering a community of believers who seek to understand and love God more through Scripture.

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Key Takeaways

• Personal Connection to God: The phrase "my God" underscores the intimate relationship believers have with God through Jesus Christ.

• Expression of Suffering: Both Psalm 22 and Matthew 27 portray profound anguish, illustrating that expressing despair is a valid and shared human experience.

• God’s Attributes in Hard Times: Even when feeling abandoned, God’s omnipresence and imminence remain true, offering comfort and assurance of His constant presence.

• Biblical Fulfillment: Psalm 22 serves as a prophetic foundation for understanding Jesus’ suffering on the cross, highlighting the cohesive narrative of redemption throughout Scripture.

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This episode of "A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace" provides a thoughtful and profound exploration of Psalm 22:1-2, connecting Old Testament prophecy with New Testament fulfillment. Through insightful annotation and relatable discussion, Alexa and Katie guide listeners toward a deeper appreciation of God's unwavering presence and the centrality of Christ in the biblical narrative.

Transcript

[Host]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily grace. This year, we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study, Christ in All of Scripture. Each week, we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the new, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[Alexa]

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire biblical story, but the center of it. Hey, friends, welcome back to another week of A year in the Bible. My name is Alexa, and I'm joined this week once again by the lovely Katie. Hi, Katie. Hey.

[Katie]

So glad to be with you again, Alexa.

[Alexa]

Me too. This week we'll be discussing Psalm 22:1 2 and Matthew 27:45 50, and we're going to learn that Jesus cried out to God in despair on the cross, which encourages us to cry out to God in our own pain. Today we will be discussing the annotation day on Psalm 22:1 2. So, Katie, could you read that passage for us?

[Katie]

Of course. Let's read. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer by night. Yet I have no rest. Alexa, so how did this annotation day go for you?

[Alexa]

You know, honestly, it was a little challenging. I'm familiar with how this verse connects to Christ already, so it was a little challenging to try and approach this passage from purely, like, an observational perspective. And I found that the first two prompts the challenging, the ones that ask us to highlight any words or phrases that point to Christ and then to make note of any attributes of God seen in the text. So even though this was challenging for me, here is my stab at any words or phrases that point to Christ. I highlighted my God because Jesus has a personal relationship with God. You know, Jesus would often refer to God as his Father throughout the Gospels, which spoke of the intimate relationship that Jesus has with God. And so I think that phrase my God captures that intimacy as well. I also thought about how it's because of Jesus that we as believers are able to call God our God. By Christ's salvation, Jesus has brought us into a relationship with God. So each one of us as believers were able to call God my God. And the only other thing I'm going to say is that Matthew 27:45 50, the New Testament passage that we're going to look at this week connects very specifically to Psalm 27:22:1 through 2. So I highlighted the phrase why have you abandoned me at verse one and drew an arrow from it and put Matthew 27:45 through 50. But that's all I'm gonna say. And that's, you know, that's all I'm gonna say about that connection for right now.

[Katie]

I love the Swiss suspense there. But you are right, we are gonna cover that so much more in detail later this week and I'm excited to dive dive more into that. But I agree this annotations, this week's annotation is just hard. But I do appreciate that Scripture and the Psalms specifically don't from the real hard feelings that we experience. It helps us to remember that we're not alone and even if what we're feeling isn't true. That being said, I would love to hear about what you noted about God in this passage about the attributes of God. I found this one really challenging myself as well.

[Alexa]

Yeah, this one was really tough. But here is what is said of God in this passage. Why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far for my deliverance? You do not answer. So those are some pretty tough words. We don't see anything about God's attributes like explicitly in those verses, but I still think they can point us to what we do know to be true about God. So even though the Psalmist feels like God has abandoned him, we know that God is both omnipresent and imminent, which means that God is always with us. His presence is wherever we go. So I just noted that God's omnipresence and imminence are still a reality in this passage, even though it doesn't seem that way.

[Katie]

That's exactly right. Thank you Eliza. I just appreciate you for helping us all out there. I'm sure we are not alone in thinking that today's passage is just challenging to annotate, and I'm excited for more conversations this week to help flesh out these verses and bring us to hope. So friends, we will be back tomorrow to learn more about Psalm 22:1 and 2.

[Alexa]

We hope you have a great day. Thank you for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode. And make sure you're following aalygrace Podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement. We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye friends.

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