Not Abandoned

This morning I was reading in Mark 15:33 - chapter 16. Verse 33 says that it went dark from the 6th hour to the 9th hour. It was the 9th hour when Jesus cried in a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me."

It struck me that it was dark for so long, then Jesus finally shouted out his despair. It made me think of how we can suffer for a long time before we break. It wasn't long after Jesus cried out that he died. But of course, we know the rest of the story - that God had not forsaken Him, but breathed life into him.

It made me think of so many who feel completely abandoned. We all need to remember that even when it has been dark for so long, God has not forsaken us. Feeling like that is very real. Jesus felt it. But just as God had something better in store after the struggle for Jesus - He also has something better for us.

I'm not talking about heaven. Jesus had many more things to do here before his ascension. Let's not forget that! Jesus had to go through the pain and suffering. We would have no hope otherwise. There is some purpose for what each of us are going through. It doesn't necessarily make the struggles easier when we remember that, but it helps to keep our eyes on the hope that we have. God has not actually forsaken us.

He breathed life into Jesus. But Jesus had to submit His spirit to God first for that to happen. Luke 23:46 records that Jesus' last words were (in a loud voice) "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." I think in order for God to breathe life into us, we have to hand it over to him. As long as we carry our own burdens, they will be ours. Once we turn ourselves, worries and all, over to God, He is free to breathe life in us. He will renew us, and display His power in our lives, just as He did with Jesus.