The last words, the last actions, of Jesus are a demonstration of trust. We are called to live as Jesus died, committing our spirits into the hands of our Father.

Life easily lulls us into believing that if we are committed to the Lord, if we trust God, things will all work out for us (and in the end, I believe they will.) But in this moment, surely it looked to the disciples like Jesus was trusting His Father in darkness and failure, death.

Are you willing to meet Jesus here?

Don’t rush ahead to Resurrection celebration.

Take time this weekend for silence and stillness. Imagine what it felt like for the women and men who loved and followed Jesus as He walked the dusty streets of Israel, whose hopes were dashed.

Are there dreams you’ve had for your life that have died? What have you hoped for in your relationship with God, in being who He’s made you to be, that feels hopeless and buried?

What is the darkest area of your character, your circumstances, your hidden inner self?

What would it look like to commit your spirit into the hands of the Father? What can you release to Him today?

We are called to live as Jesus died, committing our spirits into the hands of our Father. Lord Jesus, we love you. And we are silent, with you.

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When have you experienced darkness, a time where you felt that God was far from you? When have you felt the most abandoned?

After 3 hours of darkness, Jesus cries these words of despair, quoting Psalm 22. The Psalm continues,

“Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy…”

Theologians debate the significance of this moment and argue about what Jesus intended to communicate by quoting this particular Psalm. But at its simplest, most basic level, we can see this moment as Jesus entering fully into our human condition.

Born into a broken, hurting world, sin eclipses the sun. We feel forsaken, alone, and hell comes in close.

Darkness falls, we feel we don’t deserve God’s love, we’ve turned away from His presence and goodness: Might we meet Jesus, even here?

If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. (Psalm 139:11-12)

Picture yourself at your darkest hour: Your hardest trial, your greatest failure, your most alone. Now picture Jesus, meeting you there. Can you see the grace in His eyes?

Every day between now and Good Friday, come back here to find a devotional on one of the last statements of Jesus from the cross, as well as an invitation to slow down and meet Jesus at the foot of the cross.

I’ve compiled all of these posts into a PDF for my subscribers. If you’d like a copy of that, you can sign up here.