2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Exodus 35:10-36:38 ESV, Matthew 27:32-66 ESV, Psalm 34:1-10 ESV, Proverbs 9:7-8 ESV
Daily Verse: ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV)
EGKATALEIPO (1459): “To leave behind in some place, i.e. (in a good sense) let remain over, or (in a bad sense) to desert:-forsake (7x), leave (2x). To forsake, abandon, leave in straits or helpless.”[I]
Forsaken moment.
Jesus experienced abandonment and despair, taking our sin upon His shoulders; He endured the suffering we deserve. His heart-wrenching words reveal Jesus’s agony. God forsaking Jesus for a moment gives us eternal life. Before breathing His last, Jesus uttered three words, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
Everyone feels God’s absence at some point in life. Currently, I have areas in my life I’m wondering, “What the heck, God?” As much as I pray, nothing appears to happen. At times like these, we must remember God’s sovereignty. Our heavenly Father knows all, we only know in part, trust His wisdom.
Keep going.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant it. Victory over every evil came at that moment. God didn’t forsake Jesus; He used His Son to connect with us. Jesus’ humanity on the cross joins us with our heavenly Father. Our minds will never understand God, not until we reach heaven. Trying to figure everything out wastes time and energy.
Feeling forsaken doesn’t mean God abandoned you. Emotions lie; God doesn’t. Jesus promises, “I am with you always, to the end of age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV).
Jesus did what we couldn’t. Live in His gift today.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p 75) Thomas Nelson
