“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?'” (Matthew 27:46 NKJV)
Since January of 2020, many are worn down from the rapidly evolving effects of the pandemic, which acted as a catalyst to produce catastrophic events. Just when we said, “No more!” a senseless war has our hearts torn apart. What happens when you are emotionally beaten down by the vicissitudes of life?
In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus gives us the events of the Great Tribulation prior to His Second Coming. Still, we are commanded to have faith in Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. How can we have the unwavering faith that God requires of us? By following the example of our role model, Jesus Christ.
Born to Die
Never forget! Jesus was born [as a human] for the purpose of dying. And not just a natural death. He was beaten, tortured with piercing thorns, and spikes through His wrists and feet. It was for humanity that our Savior suffered, bled, and died. But Hallejuah and Amen! He Arose! Still, Jesus is serving humanity as our Heavenly Intercessor, presenting us as faultless before God, when we pray the prayers of confession and repentance of our sins.
The Faith of Jesus
How did Jesus maintain constant, unwavering faith? What was Jesus’ faith? He depended upon the Word of God, His Father. When He was tempted by Satan, our archenemy, Jesus responded with, “It is written…” Throughout Jesus’ life on earth, He prayed. And what an exemplary prayer life! Jesus constantly prayed to God, His Father. ” After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.” (Matthew 14:23).
The Baptism and God’s Acknowledgment of Jesus
“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'” (Matthew 3:16 NKJV).
Jesus’ Rigorous Trial in the Wilderness
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. (Matthew 4:1-2)
Imagine that you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and following your baptism you were told “Now you will have to retreat to a wilderness area for 40 days and nights and fast from food.” Yes, there are individuals who would readily agree to be obedient to God’s command because they have the faith that God would take care of them. Even so, that is not the typical faith that the majority of Christians possess, especially new believers. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father is not extreme in His requirements for humanity. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:17).
Jesus’ Emotional Distress from Pending Death
“And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.'” (Matthew 26:39).
Jesus’ Emotional Distress from God’s Apparent Abandonment
“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?'” (Matthew 27:46 NKJV)
Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father’s acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father’s favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was victor. Ellen G. White
The Cross was not something that happened to Jesus— He came to die; the Cross was His purpose in coming. He is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). The incarnation of Christ would have no meaning without the Cross. The purpose of the incarnation was redemption. God came in the flesh to take sin away, not to accomplish something for Himself. The Cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both. Oswald Chambers
Endurance is a Characteristic of God’s People
- For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. (Romans 6:23).
- For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise…(Hebrews 10:35-36).
The Often Forgotten in the Faith Hall of Fame [The Early Chruch Christians]
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrew 11:35-38)
It takes constant prayer and a reminder that “God is BIGGER than all of our circumstances. Never forget that we are created in the image of God. Not just our physical attributes, we have the highest intellect of living creatures. Ever-learning, we process life through cognitive abilities not acting on instinct as animals. Yes, God has gifted us with freewill of choice and the ability to express our emotions, whether in happiness or despair.
The Holy Spirit was sent as a Helper to humanity because Jesus requested: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. (John 14:16). Through prayer and supplication, only human beings have access to the Holy Spirit and the opportunity to live a mistake-free life. We have spiritual guidance available 24/7. And messenger angels serve as our guardians [Psalm 91].
Is God love? Yes, His very Name defines LOVE. What can supersede our gift of love from God? For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).
Destination: Heaven! Faith, trust, and walking in obedience. In Jesus’ Worthy Name. Amen!
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 