Praying Psalm 22: A Collect for Good Friday

O God of hiddenness and shadows,
You who hold life and death in your hands
You who see night as if it is day;
O God absconding from our grasp,
You who slip around the corner,
You who elude our glances and sighs;
O God of godforsaken places:

In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.

And it was you who took us from the womb;
you who kept us safe at our mother’s breast.
Upon you we were cast from birth,
since our mothers bore us you have been our God.

You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

Do not therefore be far from us, O Lord,
for trouble is near and there is no one,
no one to help.
We cry by day, O God, but you do not answer;
by night, but we find no rest.
Why have you forsaken us, O God?
Why are you so far from helping us,
so far from the words of our groaning?

Deliver us, O God,
and do not shift like so many shadows;
do not leave us barren and bleeding,
bones numbered and lips dry,
gloated over by rabid bulls and ravenous lions.

Deliver us and do not forsake us,
and we will not cease to tell
of your faithfulness to the weary and afflicted.
We will not cease to tell and proclaim such news
even to a people yet unborn,
a people gathered by your Holy Spirit,

by whose power we now pray,
through your servant, the anointed of Israel. Amen.