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6.13.2008

Psalm Friday

The Roar of a Lion
Psalm Friday
Psalm 22, continued

“My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? Why art thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring?”
Psalm 22:1, KJV

“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


I must tell you that as I sit here meditating on this verse tears flow from my eyes. My heart is filled with great emotion, but nothing remotely comparable to the emotions experienced by Christ on the day He willingly gave His life for you and me. Come with me on a journey back to the foot of the cross. In the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, let us remove our shoes and bow our knees in order to give Him the praise due His name. Come a little closer so that you can see clearly our precious Lord and Savior as He hangs upon the tree that He once spoke into being.

“Hail to the King of the Jews,” the angry crowds screamed as they jabbed the crown of thorns upon His head. Blood now streams down His face from the wounds those sharp thorns inflicted. Bruises and open gashes cover His body because of the beating He endured. His face is swollen, His eyes blackened with bruises caused by each punch He took as He was mocked, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” Rusty nails have been driven deep into His hands and feet. A spear has been thrust into His side and blood and water flow. On the ground all around us is the blood of the King. Christ hangs there, not because of the nails that have been driven into His hands and feet but because of His love for us; because of His desire to be obedient to His Father and glorify His name.

We can see with our eyes the beaten and bruised body of the man before us, but I don’t know that our human minds can grasp the heart of this God-man. His heart is so full of love for each of us that nothing of Him is left; it is all about Christ’s heavenly Father, God Almighty. Stay with me here; His heart was full of love yet at the same time I believe it was broken and empty. As He hung there during that ninth hour, Christ experienced an abandonment and hopelessness only the shoulders of the King could carry because it was the result of the outpouring of the divine wrath of God upon Him as the sin-bearer for every man, woman, boy, and girl that would every walk on this earth. From the depths of His heart, Christ roared like a lion to the very throne room of heaven, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Never before had Christ ever felt that kind of separation from His heavenly Father. Never before had He felt so alone. And, never before had a Father been more proud of His Son. Never again would the sacrifice of an animal be necessary for one’s atonement because the Lamb of God had just taken away the sins of the world. The Lion of Judah had fulfilled the task He was commissioned to do.

God forsook His one and only Son for a time so that He would never have to forsake His children.

“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, NKJV

4 Lovely Thoughts Shared:

Cheri said...

I love the way you bring us to this place. I can see me there now.WOW! What a God we serve!

Peggy said...

The LION OF JUDAH...the precious LAMB of GOD...we bow before Your Majestic Throne and cry...Abba Father...Thank you for Your sacrifice of Your Only begotten Son for our sake!

I stand aMazed at the foot of that cross, I do bow, I do kneel and I cry for mercy upon us, upon me...upon those that don't know you, hold back Your hand of anger...it seems as though the floodgates of hell have been opened upon the earth...the Midwest of USA, all over...China, Myanmar,
and we humbly ask for mercy on those being afflicted for we cannot possibly comprehend the affliction You endured!!!

It's incomprehensible this description that Jenifer has painstakedly written to draw us to Your feet and cry. Lord...we are so sorry! Please forgive us!

As we look to this earthly father's day, Let us honor Our Heavenly Father and Our Lord Jesus! I have heard others say(non-believers)just
recently "how could a father do that to his own? How can you call that the great love of a Father God? How could He send them to hell?"(see Spiritually Unequal Marriage)and all I can say is
HE LOVED YOU and ME so much that
He gave His only begotten Son...
our minds cannot comprehend such
aMazing LOVE...I have even read
horror stories in the news of what earthly father's have done to their own children(Austria to name one) and as horrible as those tragedies
are and as horrible as sufferings we have seen and heard...'it ain't nothing'compared to Jesus passing through the gates of hell to conquer sin and death! Abandonment
of any father is tramatic but imagine how devastating Christ had
to feel when He cried out tears of blood as He asked His Father to let this cup pass, but 'not His will but Thine'...what obedient words!
We repeat those words, but can't even come close, to knowing how to do His will to that extent! We have drifted as a society, as a nation so far from the Foot of that cross.
The persecuted for Christ have come close but they have not, and we not ever be FORSAKEN as Christ was because Jesus Christ was for each of us! How aMazing is that! What a
price He has paid! What a glorious Kingdom He desires and offers us in eternal life with Him! He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords!
How prophetic this Psalm is! For the Lion of Judah...the Roar of the Lion and the Lamb in Revelations!

Your words once more, Jenifer have
the power to draw and stir our emotions but increase and impact our faith and move us beyond to the Hope of glory we have in Christ Jesus! Your heart is so tender and precious for the Lord and He is using you and your pen to mold us, make us more like Him...Yet though
He tells us we were formed in His image...and I see the character of our Heavenly Father through Jesus,
I find it difficult to attain or even come close, but pray that each day, we will mirror His image better, and shine His light in the darkness and we will see the Glory of Christ coming through us and for us! Be blessed and lift your hands
in praise of jubilation! Thank you!

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

Thanks Jennifer, as always. You bring to word of God to our hearts and souls.

Daiquiri said...

Oh. This just cut me to the bone! It just feels so crushing...the sadness that I have when I think of my precious Jesus on that cross suffering so. And for me. ME.

I needed this reminder, and this moment of thanksgiving. Thank you.

Daiquiri