Psalm 22’s Love Passed Along

Am I indeed forsaken here
Your help so far away;
My groaning words not heard by you
By you no answer made?

Yet you are holy, ’throned in praise
You had our parents’ trust.
To you they cried and they were saved
When into trouble thrust.

Compared to them I am a worm
Am scorned, despised by folk
They mock, make faces, shake their heads
View me as sorry joke.

Our parents turned their cause to you
Let you deliver them
Their enemies turned this around
Stood back to watch their end.

You took me safe from day of birth
To nursing breasts of mom
You’ve been my stay through all my days
When help from others none.

I feel I’m in a bull-fight now
A hungry lion’s lair.
Inside and out can’t move about
Heart melted in despair.

My strength’s like broken china plate
All scattered on the ground
My mouth is parched, can hardly speak
As death lurks all around.

Like fearsome dogs surrounding me
They circle for the kill
A crucifixion here once more
So little left but will.

They steal my last possessions there
Make sport of remnant things
O thou my help be not far off
To me deliverance bring.

This soul I’ve got –  my only one –
They want to tear from me
Help me within the danger here
Your saving help to see.

When out of this, I’ll sing your praise
And celebrate your power.
Come all you others who have felt
God’s help within your hour.

For years before we knew God's love
As learned through Jewish strife,
Jews gathered round and praised God’s name
For helping them through life.

O Lord your spirit in me gives
My spirit songs of praise
Commitments made in troubled times
I’ll live through all my days.

The hungry folks throughout the world
And those who live quite near
Shall from our hand receive their food
And praise you without fear.

All ends of earth will soon recall
Their troubled lives before
And praise you for your help, O God –
Through us you’ve given support.

Yes, they each ate, and now draw near
In praise – each in their way
For we’ve been helped, then on through us,
God’s helped them in their day.

And so it goes from age to age
God’s help, to me, through you –
Gets passed along to others then –
To folks you never knew.

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