Day 20 of 21
The Psalms of the Messiah
The Prayers Christ Prayed Before He Was Born
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
The Psalms are Israel's hymnbook — prayers, songs, and poems expressing the full range of human experience before God. But the New Testament reveals that many of these psalms have a deeper meaning: they are the prayers and prophecies of the Messiah. When we read certain psalms, we are hearing the voice of Christ — His suffering, His faith, His kingship, and His victory.
Reflection
Three psalms in particular stand out as Messianic:
Psalm 22 opens with the cry Jesus Himself uttered from the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46). Written by David a thousand years before Christ, the psalm describes experiences that go far beyond David's own suffering. "They have pierced my hands and my feet" (Psalm 22:16) — long before crucifixion was invented. "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots" (Psalm 22:18) — fulfilled at the foot of the cross (John 19:24). The psalm moves from agony to triumph: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord" (Psalm 22:27). The cross leads to a global harvest.
Psalm 2 declares God's anointed king: "I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage'" (Psalm 2:7-8). This psalm was applied to Jesus at His baptism (Mark 1:11) and in the early church's prayer (Acts 4:25-26). It speaks of a king who is also God's Son — who will rule the nations and against whom all opposition is futile.
Psalm 110 combines kingship and priesthood in a single figure, as we explored on Day 17. It is the most-quoted psalm in the New Testament, and Jesus Himself used it to challenge the Pharisees' limited understanding of the Messiah (Matthew 22:41-46).
Spurgeon saw in the Psalms the very voice of Christ — crying out in agony, declaring trust, and celebrating coming victory. The Psalms are not merely about Christ; they are, in a sense, by Christ. He prayed them during His earthly life, and they expressed His experience with a precision that no other words could match.
Goldsworthy adds that the Messianic psalms are not simply predictions but expressions of Christ's inner life. They give us access to His prayers, His sufferings, and His triumphs. When we pray these psalms, we join our voices to His.
Going Deeper
The Messianic psalms reveal that the cross was not a moment of divine absence but of divine purpose. Psalm 22 begins in forsakenness but ends in universal worship. Psalm 2 declares that the opposition of the nations is futile against God's anointed. Psalm 110 proclaims that the Messiah is both king and priest at God's right hand. Together, they provide a window into the heart of Christ — and an invitation to pray with Him, through Him, and in Him.
Key Quotes
“In the Psalms, we hear the very voice of Christ — crying out in agony on the cross, declaring his trust in the Father, and celebrating his coming victory.”
“The Messianic psalms are not simply predictions about Christ; they express the inner life of Christ. They give us access to his prayers, his sufferings, and his triumphs.”
Prayer Focus
Lord Jesus, You prayed the Psalms in Your earthly life — crying out in anguish, declaring trust, and anticipating victory. Teach me to pray the Psalms with You, joining my voice to Yours.
Meditation
Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 from the cross: 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Knowing how this psalm ends — in triumph and praise — how does the whole psalm illuminate the meaning of the cross?
Question for Discussion
If Jesus prayed the Psalms as His own prayers, does that change the way we should pray psalms of lament, anger, and confusion? Is it possible to pray more honestly than we usually do?