Why have you forsaken me? Jesus' meaning?

What did Jesus mean when he was saying Why have you forsaken me? He was quoting from Psalm 22 and was referring to this whole Psalm--it would seem that it was actually a statement of faith and not doubt. It showed confidence in God in spite of the great suffering.

As Dr.Sri says in an article found here: In quoting the first line of Psalm 22 – ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ – Jesus would be invoking the whole context of this psalm.  Since the psalm expresses trust in God and ends on a clearly victorious note, ancient Jews would not interpret Christ’s words as a cry of despair.

Certainly Jesus expresses his union with us in the depths of our suffering and sin.  At the same time, however, this reference to Psalm 22 expresses his total trust that the Father will vindicate him over his enemies.  Thus Christ’s cry on Good Friday anticipates his victory on Easter Sunday, when he will rise from the dead and restore us as sons and daughters of the Father.  Indeed, through Christ’s resurrection, the high point of Psalm 22 will be fulfilled: God will reign over all the earth, rescuing all who suffer and bringing ‘all the families of the nations’ together to worship before him (Ps 22:27)

22 uMy God, my God, why

have you forsaken me?

Why are you so vfar from saving me, from the words of my wgroaning?

2 O my God, I cry by xday, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are yholy,

zenthroned on athe praises1 of Israel.

4 In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5 To you they bcried and were rescued;

in you they ctrusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am da worm and not a man,

escorned by mankind and fdespised by the people.

7 All who see me gmock me;

they make mouths at me; they hwag their heads;

8 i“He trusts in the Lord; let him jdeliver him;

let him rescue him, for he kdelights in him!”

9 Yet you are he who ltook me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.

10 On you was I cast from my birth,

and from mmy mother's womb you have been my God.

11 Be not nfar from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is onone to help.

12 Many bulls encompass me;

pstrong bulls of qBashan surround me;

13 they ropen wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

14 I am spoured out like water,

and all my bones are tout of joint;

my uheart is like vwax;

it is melted within my breast;

15 my strength is wdried up like a potsherd,

and my xtongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For ydogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers zencircles me;

they have apierced my hands and feet2—

17 I can count all my bones—

they bstare and gloat over me;

18 cthey divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But you, O Lord, ndo not be far off!

O you my help, dcome quickly to my aid!

20 Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of ethe dog!

21 Save me from fthe mouth of the lion!

You have rescued3 me from the horns of gthe wild oxen!

22 hI will tell of your name to my ibrothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23 You who jfear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, kglorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of lthe afflicted,

and he has not mhidden his face from him,

but has heard, when he ncried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great ocongregation;

my pvows I will qperform before those who fear him.

26 rThe afflicted4 shall seat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts tlive forever!

27 All uthe ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord,

and all vthe families of the nations

shall worship before you.

28 For wkingship belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

29 All xthe prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall ybow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not zkeep himself alive.

30 Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming ageneration;

31 they shall bcome and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet cunborn,

that he has done it.