“My God, my God, why have you left me?”
That was his desperate cry as life’s weight came crashing down, suffocating him. He felt completely alone, abandoned. He called out, hoping someone would hear — but no one answered. No one was there. His enemies circled around him, closing in, and all he could hear was silence. His cries just seemed to fade into the wind.

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Most of us, when we hear those words, think of Jesus on the cross — and we should (we’ll talk more about that in a minute). But those words didn’t start with Jesus. They were David’s words first.

In the middle of deep suffering, David cried out to God and got nothing but silence in return. The weight of life mixed with the silence of God felt unbearable. So he asked, “Why, God?”

And if we’re honest, we’ve all been there. Maybe not in the exact same way, but we’ve felt the crushing pressure of life and wondered if God had forgotten us. Maybe you’ve lost people you love, one after another, and you feel abandoned. Maybe your home or everything you’ve worked for was destroyed in a moment — and you feel lost, alone, and overwhelmed. Maybe the weight of life is pressing down so hard, you’re crying out, “Why, God?”

But here’s the thing — even in those moments, we can find hope.

And we find that hope when we look at the cross and look to Jesus.

The cross reminds us that Jesus gets it. He knows exactly what it feels like to be abandoned, to feel completely alone, and to be crushed by sorrow. Remember, He even prayed, asking if there was another way. But the cross still came. And those hours of suffering? We can’t fully grasp how painful they were, but we know they were excruciating. Jesus endured all of that, and because He did, He understands exactly how we feel when life is too heavy to carry. And the best part? He’s promised to be right there with us through it all. Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you. I will never abandon you.”

Looking at the cross gives us hope, not only because Jesus understands, but because it reminds us that this isn’t the end of the story.

On that day, as Jesus endured the weight of God’s wrath, He knew vindication was coming. He knew victory was just around the corner. His pain wasn’t the final word. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Because of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” The cross wasn’t the end — the empty tomb was.

And the same is true for us. When life feels unbearable, we can look ahead to victory.

This season of struggle won’t last forever. There’s vindication, restoration, and joy coming.

Psalm 22 — the same chapter where David cries out in despair — doesn’t end in hopelessness. It ends with victory. Verse 24 says:
“For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help.”

So if you’re feeling crushed right now, like there’s no way out — look to the cross. Look to Jesus. He knows exactly how you feel. And just like His story didn’t end in suffering, neither will yours. Victory is coming.

Thanks for reading.