Red-Letter DaySample

It was a red-letter day. It was the day our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of humanity and died on a cross that we may have eternal life. The physical torture and brutality He experienced can be difficult to wrap our minds around. Scripture says Jesus was beaten and abused so severely that He didn’t look like a human being. But besides enduring the pain in His body, He also endured the weight of our sin on the cross.

Take a moment and put yourself there that day at the crucifixion. Jesus was so tortured you might have asked yourself along with the others, “Where is your God now?” Even though Jesus completely trusted His Father’s plan, He had the same feeling in verse 45 of Matthew 27. When darkness came in the middle of the day, God withdrew His presence, and Jesus responded, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Never once did Jesus complain when men did their worst. But when God withdrew, He screamed in agony saying He couldn’t take it anymore.

Think about your life for a moment. Are there times when you’re enduring such darkness you feel God’s presence is gone? Are there times you feel abandoned? It’s easy to trust God when life goes the way we want it to, but it’s more difficult when we don’t understand and life is dark. In that moment of agony, Jesus embraced the one question that almost all of us ask at some point in our lives: Why, God? We have to understand we’re not always going to understand.

As you take time to pray today, ask yourself this question: Is there a place in my life where I feel alone or abandoned by God? If you answered yes to this question, be open with God and share with Him how you feel. Lean into Him to put yourself in a place where you’ll be able to hear back from Him.