30 Days in Psalm 22 for Busy Mamas, Day 1: Listening

Psalm 22.

The Psalm of the Cross.

The psalm that has been described as more of a history than a prophecy.

A glimpse into the deep, deep suffering of our Savior on the cross.

A psalm that speaks to the suffering we all face at different points in our lives — the times when we feel like God has forgotten us, or isn’t listening to us, or just plain isn’t there.

Psalm 22 is what we’re going to listen to, look at, study, meditate on, immerse ourselves in for the next month. I’m really looking forward to our time together in this psalm!

Today we’re going to listen to the psalm. 

Assignment: Pray, asking for the understanding that only the Holy Spirit can give as we approach God’s Word.

• Then find a quiet place (for just 4 minutes and 41 seconds!) if you can. (Do this lesson during naps or after the children are in bed, if you’re likely to get interrupted during the day.)

• Listen to this dramatic recitation of Psalm 22. Close your eyes, if it helps you concentrate. Imagine Jesus praying these words as He was dying on the cross.

• Listen to how He alternates back and forth between words of suffering and words of praise.

• Listen for the turning point in the psalm when the mood and text change from despair to victory.

• Listen more than once if you can, or listen to this reading the second time.

Tomorrow we’ll start to look directly at the text. You’ll need some colored pencils for marking, and as we continue in our study, you’ll need a small notebook, a pen, and access to a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

If you would like to interact with other ladies who are doing this study, be sure to join the Busy Mamas Bible Study Facebook group, where you can ask questions, and where you can share and view comments and photos with other ladies.

For your children:

These lessons are optional, available for your use if you would like to teach your children about Psalm 22 while you are studying it. (Teaching is a good way for you to learn more, too!) The lessons will remain available in the blog archives, if you would like to use them after you have completed your own study.

• For this first day of our study, watch this short (3-minute) animated version of Luke 23 together.

• Then explain that we will be studying a portion of the Bible that described Jesus’s crucifixion almost one thousand years before it actually happened!