My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?

My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?
Jesus cried out from the cross with those words.

There are many laments, many stories of people crying out to God.
The Israelites crying out in Egypt is a well known one.
In fact, laments are the most common style in the psalms.

Oppression, long standing illness, suffering of all sorts- all caused people to cry out to God.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Wait, what!?  How did we get here!?

Well, read Psalm 22. All the way through.
Then continue into Psalm 23 which immediately follows.

Now read the Gospel for this Sunday (Matthew 15: 21-28).
What does it mean to have the faith of the Canaanite woman?
One who didn't grow up with an understanding of God like the Jews?
Without any connection to that God at all?

What might it mean for you, and all of those who cry out for peace, love, mercy, restoration, justice?
What does it mean to have a God whose mercy extends to all?
How might we ambassadors of that grace?