When we read the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, His words on the cross have perplexed and brought about discussion for centuries. It has been unclear as to why Jesus declared He felt forsaken by His Father. We know on the night Jesus was arrested, He had been praying diligently, and under such stress about the death He knew He was destined to fulfill, He sweat droplets of blood. This medical condition is called Hematidrosis, which means capillary blood vessels rupture due to extreme physical or emotional stress. Angels were present to minister to Jesus during this time; His greatest hour of need. He made the incredible choice to obey His Father, taking upon Himself the sins of the whole world. For God made Christ, Who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ (II Corinthians 5:21, NLT). We cannot imagine the emotional torment He endured.
Remember, Jesus was 100% God but He was also 100% man. That is why the Scriptures can accurately say of Him, We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15, NIV). It can be argued that Jesus, in His humanness, was experiencing a feeling of abandonment. However, there is another, very plausible reason. It has to do with fulfilling Bible prophecy.
Surrounding the cross were Jesus’ accusers, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, learned religious men of the day who knew the Old Testament Scriptures exceedingly well. They knew the prophecies of the Messiah; they just didn’t believe Jesus was that person. When Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me,” (Psalm 22) He was pointing to prophecy that was being fulfilled right before their watchful eyes. This Psalm, which the religious scholars knew well, goes on to say, My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced My hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at Me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for My clothing. Is this why Jesus shouted out the first verse of the Psalm? Was He pointing to the reality that Psalm 22 was indeed about Him?
Even in His time of agonizing physical death and horrendous, emotional turmoil, was Jesus, in HIs perfect compassion, pointing His accusers to the truth of the cross, that through His death they could live? Jesus is the epitome of love. He is salvation; the only way to eternity in Heaven where death no longer exists and pain is a thing of the past. Jesus was demonstrating His love on the cross. He was declaring to all who would believe that He alone was the only one who could pay the penalty for our sin. He alone is the only way to eternal salvation. Just think, in the midst of the angry jeering of the crowd, Jesus was shouting out the biggest clue that indeed He is the Son of God.
If you have received Jesus as your Savior, may this Easter weekend be a joyful reminder of His love and victory over death. If you have not received Jesus as your Savior, may this Easter weekend open your eyes to His love, and may you receive His magnificent gift of salvation. This gift is only a prayer away. Ask and receive His forgiveness of sin today, and have the most blessed Easter ever.
When I was a child I loved watching Superman and Batman. They won over the bad guys. Nothing could stop their quest for goodness. Bullets could be fired, traps laid, but with their superpowers they beat the evil plans of their foes every single time. While such stories of Superman and Batman are make-believe, you and I have a reality of a super power at work in our lives. We, too, cannot be beaten when our super power is ignited. It’s all to do with our shield of protection.
David wrote in Psalm 5:11-12, But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them, that all who love Your Name may be filled with joy. For You bless the godly, O Lord; You surround them with Your shield of love (NLT). We can read this verse and be easily confused at first. We may ponder that God’s children aren’t always protected. They get sick, they are wounded, they are killed, they are falsely accused, they die of disease. How is any of that being protected? Such thoughts come when we make the mistake of putting our focus on the physical rather than the spiritual.
Jesus Himself said, Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul (Matthew10:28, NLT). You see, of course Christians can and do suffer physical ailments. Some are indeed killed for their faith in Jesus. Others are falsely accused, starved and tortured. Man can hurt man terribly, but is there still a super power at work? Oh, yes, because every child of God has within them the all powerful Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible for Him.
When our faith and trust could be shattered, the Holy Spirit whispers God’s truths into our minds, soothing us with the truth that Jesus will be our everything to get us through anything. We have the joy of the Lord within us in the most grievous of situations. We have God’s own peace soothing troubled waters in the storms of creeping doubts. We have God’s wisdom and His emotional strength to endure whatever; yes any hardship at all, that comes into our paths. When Satan shoots His fiery darts, we are protected by God’s Word reigning in our minds, and by God’s love for us, which is a shield that nothing can penetrate. This is why David could also write with certainty, When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You (Psalm 56:3, NLT).
When physical pains take hold, look to Jesus, for He will be your comfort. When emotional sorrows cause grief and hurt, look to Jesus, for He will hold you close. Jesus has not left us alone to fight our battles. He has given us the precious and unfailing gift of the Holy Spirit. When we are weak, because of our Father’s shield of love, we are fully protected from all attacks from demonic forces. Nothing is too hard for God; therefore, because of Him and through Him, nothing is too hard for us either. Let us go forward in the joy of the Lord, for it is indeed our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Have you ever tried to contemplate the greatness of God’s love? Of course, it can’t be done. His love is endless, eternal, immeasurable. It’s higher than the heavens and deeper than the seas. It encompasses all we can imagine. It’s rather mind-blowing to try and envision the vastness of God’s love, but it’s even more stunning to try and grasp His personal love for you as an individual.
His care for you as a solitary person is incalculable. There is an astonishing verse in Jeremiah 1:5, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations (ESV). There is often debate as to the beginning of life: does it begin at conception or at birth? The Bible, our final and ultimate authority, clearly informs us that it begins neither at conception or at birth. No, it’s far greater: your life and my life began in the very heart of God. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Life is precious because it comes from God’s love.
Just think, before anyone else even thought of you, you were already living in the heart of God. He already had a plan for you. Jeremiah understood this. That is why he could write in Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’ (NLT). Life is precious to God. Your life began in His heart of unfathomable love, continued on into conception and birth, lives on physically with His eyes never ceasing to watch over you, and promises to bring each of His children into spectacular eternity to live in Heaven where sorrow, pain nor tears exist. Who wouldn’t want that life with Him for eternity?
Almighty God loves you. Just meditate on that for a moment. Almighty God has a plan for you. Almighty God never stops thinking about you. Almighty God desires to be your everything to get you through anything, and to do so with His own peace and joy reigning in your heart and mind. Oh, how He loves, loves, loves, you. Therefore, why forfeit a day without spending precious moments with Him? Sit in His presence. Are you hurting? His presence will soothe. Are you confused? His presence with guide. Are you lonely? His presence will comfort.
He has loved you from the beginning of your life: it began in His heart.
Our dog, Jack, and I were taking a walk around the neighborhood as we often do in an afternoon. There are wide sidewalks and a park nearby. Jack happily trots and sniffs as we go along our way. On this particular afternoon a loud boom was heard in the distance. Jack stopped and stared ahead, nose twitching, body suddenly tense. Like most dogs, Jack doesn’t like loud sounds like fireworks and other unidentifiable loud sounds. I stood with him, watching, wondering what he would do. After several moments I said, “Jack, you want to turn around?” He looked at me and headed back in the direction in which we had come. He seemed to give no further thought to the loud boom. He just trotted along pausing and sniffing, enjoying the moments as if nothing had happened to disturb him earlier. It was like he knew — what’s the point in standing and worrying? Doing that is going no where.
Jesus said the same thing to His followers in Matthew 6:27 when He asks the question, Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? (NLT) We know the answer. Staring at what causes us anxiety, fretting over something we can do nothing about, worrying about the unknown, gets us no where. On the other hand, when troubling situations creep unwelcome into our lives, turning to look at Jesus, choosing to contemplate His words, walking along in another peaceful, trusting direction, brings a calm assurance that nothing takes Jesus by surprise. Therefore, all will be well.
Worry will not add one moment to our lives. It can take away plenty. It can increase our heart rate and blood pressure, resulting in lack of inner peace. It can snatch away, in an unsuspecting moment, the joy we had the minute before. It can eat away any courage we knew we had, reducing us to cowardly behavior, causing self-loathing which is always designed by demonic forces who never want us walking in the peace of God. Worry takes away tranquility, leaving us standing mute in disbelief as we stare frozen in fear of what’s out there.
In lovely contrast, choosing to go to Jesus brings instant hope. When we look to Him, we are immediately reminded that we don’t know but He does. We can’t see past the next minute, but He sees into all our tomorrows. We may or may not be able to conquer what scares us, but Jesus is Lord over all the earth at all times, most assuredly able to conquer anything at all.
We all have our “deer in the headlights” moments. Let’s encourage each other to choose to turn from the fear and walk in another direction. Walk with Jesus, the One Who can and will handle all our troubles for us. He will be our peace in any storm. He will be our comfort in troubled waters. He will take our hand and lead us back into the boat named — Trust In Him. Life is full of frightful moments but none of those instances need dominate our steps. Choose to listen intently as you take Jesus’ hand. You will hear Him say, This is the way, walk in it (Isaiah 30:21 NLT).
I looked up the dictionary definition of peace. It said simply — the absence of disturbance. When something agitates or upsets us we deem that we are in a situation of no peace. We want to somehow remove the unpleasant circumstance in our quest for peace. However, there are times when the offending situation cannot be changed. It’s there, lurking, attacking our senses. This is when we need a different kind of peace; a peace that is from God alone.
What does John 14:27 mean when Jesus says to His disciples, I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Jesus was completely aware that He was near to the time of His cruel death on the cross. He would bear pain, being charged for all the sin of the world, which would turn His Father’s face away for a short but agonizing moment as minutes turned into hours.
When someone dies they often leave something for their loved ones to inherit. Jesus did the same. He left His family a peace that the world could not take away. The gift of peace from Jesus is far more than the absence of difficult circumstance: it is the fulness of harmony with God in the midst of any painful difficulty. Jesus’ peace is personal. The same peace that would sustain Him through crucifixion, He would now pass on to His followers — that’s you and me. The peace of Jesus doesn’t always eliminate the storm, but it gives us strength and confidence that we will not be consumed by the waves of turmoil and sorrow that wash over us. Our head will stay safely above water when we have Jesus’ peace. No hurtful words will destroy us, and even death will not overcome us, for it is in death that, for the Christian, is a door opening into an eternity of perfect joy and solace.
Are you in a storm today? Are you looking for a way out? Trust Jesus. Focus on Him and His love for you. Just think, the very same peace that carried Him through the experience of the cross, is the peace that He leaves to me and you. Nothing can destroy the peace of God within you. The peace Jesus gives has been with every child of God who has suffered persecution for being a Christian, or has cried in sorrow, who has been hurt by painful words hurled unfairly. The peace of Jesus comforted Him when He was betrayed, when one of His disciples denied he even knew Jesus.
We can arrange things in our lives to ease our difficulties, but the peace that passes all understanding that fills us with hope and gladness in the midst of any hardship can only be the gift of peace from Jesus. Whatever you are facing today, call to Jesus to be your everything to get you through anything. His peace will sustain you.
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