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“My God, My God, why have You abandoned me? Why are You so far away when I groan for help?”  Psalm 22:1

Do these words sound familiar? Maybe you have uttered them-or some version of them- deep in the night when your soul cries out in anguish. Maybe you have not voiced this pain, but the deepest places of your heart have begged for answers to this question.

You are not alone.

These words were given a voice and a place in history through the writings of King David. From the man who conquered Goliath and saved his nation,  the man who was anointed to be king, and the man who brought God to His home in Jerusalem-by way of the Ark of the Covenant-these questions were asked.

David felt the sting of abandonment and the isolation that only grief and pain can bring.

Jesus quoted these exact words as He hung on the cross, “And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mark 15:34).

Jesus not only sees our suffering, He wants us to know He has experienced it. He had been One with God the Father and the Holy Spirit and He had never known what it was to be apart from them. As Jesus hung on the cross, after being beaten, tortured, and humiliated, He took on all of the sin for each one of us. As Jesus hung there and paid the ultimate price for us, God, His Father, turned His back on Him-for the first time ever.

Can we just sit in this for a moment? Jesus Christ, God Himself, was rejected and abandoned. He experienced anguish, grief, and being alone for the first time ever, for us. He allowed this so that He could pay the ultimate price for our sin. This precious gift offers us salvation. He also did that so that we would KNOW He truly understands when we are in the deepest oceans of emotional pain.

The God of the Universe was willing to sever His relationship with His Son so that He could comfort us, walk with us, embrace us, and we would believe He truly understands.

Of all of the words Jesus could have called out, out of all of the Psalms Jesus could have quoted, He used His death to comfort us. Yes, salvation was the reason for His death, but Jesus used this opportunity to show His despair in being abandoned. What a precious gift. At the most difficult and painful time in His life, Jesus was thinking of each one of us! He was letting us know  we can run to Him on our darkest days. He does not just placate us or offer empty words, He has been there.

God turned His back on Jesus and Jesus felt the weight of the separation. Jesus was willing to do this because of His great love for us.

If you doubt seeing yourself as cherished, loved, and seen, let this be your reminder. Jesus sacrificed it all-His body, His life, His relationship, and His emotional stability-to offer each of us salvation and to stand in the gap so we can see we are not alone through any circumstance in this life.

This is what love looks like. This is what Easter is. It is the gift of salvation and the promise of never having to be separated from Him.

“Father, help us believe the Truth that was sacrificed for us.”

Happy Easter!

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson   (www.TerrieTollerson.com)
TRBC Women’s Ministry