He Has Not Forsaken

Picture this: You are five years old. Your mom agrees to take you on her grocery trip. You promise in the car that you will hold on to the cart and not wander away. However, the inevitable happens, and as you find yourself entranced by the beautiful array of cereal boxes, you look up and Mom is gone. She left you, and you are all alone! She is supposed to always be close and watch over you! She is supposed to be with you. In your despair, you cry out for her longing to be reunited. 

This example is a faint illustration to the experience Jesus had on the cross as He experienced a longing for His Father. God had “forsaken” and “abandoned” Jesus. The Father turned His face away as the Son took on the sin of the world. Jesus was alone on the cross, taking His final breaths in anguish. 

What we usually miss in this moment in scripture is the hidden message behind Jesus’ words. More than a cry of anguish, Jesus was pointing everyone around Him to Psalm 22 where David wrote the same words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The teachers of the Law and the readers of the Word would have recognized this phrase and begun to consider the rest of the Psalm where David prophesies about the crucifixion including events like Jesus’ public mocking and ridicule and even the gambling for His clothes. The Psalm ends by praising the Lord for rescue and victory. The crucifixion has the same end three days later with the resurrection of our savior. God dons a banner of victory over death. The life surrendered to the will of the Father becomes a life renewed. 

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Father, thank You that Your plan is bigger than me. I know I can have hope for my future when I read Your Word and see Your promises. No death or defeat lasts forever for You will redeem and restore all things. I surrender my will to You and trust You. Amen.