He Will Never Leave You

As the wrath of God fell on Jesus, the sky turned black and an earthquake shook the ground. Then moments from death Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). What staggering words to come from the lips of this Son who had lived for thirty-three years on earth (and for all of eternity past) in an inseparable bond with His Father. Yet now, covered with our shame, Jesus knew what it was to be forsaken by His almighty Father.

Abandoned.

Naked.

Beaten.

Humiliated.

Alone.

Wounded.

Rejected.

That’s how Jesus died. When He died, Jesus made good on the hope set forth in Malachi’s last prophetic bridge to the future. Now, through Christ, God could forgive you. Cover your sins, cancel your debt, and cast away your shame forever. Raise you with Christ to new life and call you son or daughter. Jesus was forsaken so that you would never have to live a day without a father’s blessing!

Dive deep into this truth! Because of what Jesus has done for you, you can be born again through faith in Him into the family of God and always have access to the Father’s blessing. When you are in God’s family, you will never be forgotten.

Jesus took on Himself every curse that is over your life, especially the curse of living without a father’s love, acceptance, and approval. Jesus did this when He was hoisted up on Calvary’s tree, as it is written with reference to the cross, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13, NLT). And because of Christ’s work, this is your new identity:

• Jesus was cursed so that you could be cured.
• Jesus was rejected so that you could be accepted.
• Jesus experienced the wrath of God’s righteous judgment so that you could be released from the weight of sin and shame.
• Jesus was broken on the cross so that your shattered destiny could be put back together again.
• Jesus became sin so that you could become the righteousness of God in Him.
• Jesus was wounded so you could be healed.

Once your eyes are opened to the transforming power of Jesus’ death, you understand that the cross is not just an important moment in the annals of history; the cross is the place where your reason for existence is defined. It’s the place where you can step into your purpose as you claim God’s forgiveness and fatherhood. As your relationship with God is changed, you find that human relationships can change too, and by the same means. If you want to go forward toward healing in your relationship with your earthly dad, you must return to the cross of Christ again and again. It’s the place where you were no longer orphaned, no matter your past.

And you must see the cross through eyes opened by the Spirit of God.