Let us read aloud these passages together,
Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV)
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
Psalm 22:1-5 (NIV)
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
“The darkness may not immediately lessen, but to cry out is natural and altogether appropriate. He waits tenderly and patiently to hear you cry, ‘O God, where are you?’ He knows then what you still expect of him.” [John White. Daring to Draw Near: People in Prayer.]
“When we are in the Spirit, we are not led to fear, anger, or distraction. We don’t trivialize the pain. Instead, we let the Psalms be our guide through the battle.” [Adapted from P. Ed’s message.]
Prayer: My God, my God, I cry out to you. By your Spirit, I put my trust in the Holy One who hears and delivers. I put my trust in the Holy One who saves and does not put me to shame. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let’s worship to “Is He Worthy” by Chris Tomlin (click here).
-AS
