Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday
Matthew 27:25-47 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
"God-forsaken." There's an expression often used without much thought, usually describing a desolate stretch of back-country. But applied to a human being, that's scary.
To actually be forsaken of God is to be left with no comfort or protection or aid, no blessing in the present, no prospect for the future. This is not just to be left for dead. This is to be left for Satan. This is hell. Really. Literally. And this is what Jesus went through on the cross. Really. Literally. It was the price He paid for our sin-guilt.
Now, through faith in His life and death in our place we can live and die with no fear of ever being forsaken by God. God's promise to never ever leave us or forsake us is, like every divine promise, made sure by Christ our Lord. Jesus prayed His frightening prayer, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me" so we believers will never have to -- no matter what the situation or the circumstance.
So when we each consider the pathway ahead in our lives, and realize that the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh lie in wait; when we recognize that temptations to sin are going to be cunningly presented to us every day, we need not despair because we need not be alone.
To pray "Lead us not into temptation" with the cross of Christ in view is to be sure of that. Because Jesus was forsaken of His Father while paying for our sins, all who trust in Him can be confident when our faith is under attack, when temptations arise and afflict us. Our heavenly Father will always be there for us, always ready to hear and to be our Help when we come in the name of our crucified and risen Savior.
