Anything But This

"O LORD, do not stay far away!

You are my strength;

come quickly to my aid!"

Psalm 22:19 NLT

This Messianic Psalm graphically foretells how Jesus would suffer as He died on the cross.  I can see what Jesus went through in reading Psalm 22, getting a sense of the sacrifice He made in order to reconcile me with God and redeem me by His blood.  He willingly suffered greatly for my sake.

Still, the physical part was not the worst.  He must have dreaded the pain He would endure as He sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest (Luke 22:44), but there was something He feared more than the beatings, humiliation, scourging, taunting and crucifixion.  The anticipation of the separation from His Father as the sin of all mankind rested on Him, causing the Father to turn His back on the Son. When Jesus most needed comfort, the Father of compassion was not there to extend His grace.  

The dependence of Jesus upon His Father is the perfect example of how I must be likewise connected to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.  I must realize my desperate need for Him and how devastating it would be apart from His presence.  What did Jesus understand that I need to learn?

Source.  I held the hose in my hand but nothing came out of the end.  The faucet was turned on, I had checked for kinks in the hose, but still, the water I needed to give to my plants was not available.

I soon realized a valve had been turned off, blocking this outdoor faucet from receiving water.  Even though all the equipment was in place and working properly, it didn't matter if I couldn't access the well.  I needed to be connected to the source of water.

This is what Jesus knew and I must understand.  Everything good comes from God (James 1:17).  He is the source of all I need to survive in this world.  He gives me the power to endure (Philippians 4:13), grace to help me (Hebrews 4:16), and peace to guard my heart and mind (Philippians 4:7).  I cannot successfully go it alone, trying to keep calm and carry on in the midst of chaos and strife.  No matter how hard I try, I do not have what it takes on my own to endure.  I need to be connected to the source.

In the above example, Jesus is like the hose.  He is the delivery system for all the necessities that come from God, the conduit that gives me what I need.  This is why it is vital that I stay connected to the vine that is Jesus (John 15).  Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing because He is what makes sure I can receive what I need from the Source (Colossians 1:15-20, John 1:3-4).

I must understand that everything I need comes from God and is delivered through faith in Jesus Christ.

Comfort.  When I've hit bottom, feeling like there's no hope, I need it.  When grief pierces my heart, giving me pain that threatens to overwhelm, I seek it.  When I'm reeling from attack, unable to process such evil, I depend upon it.  

Comfort. God is called the Father of Compassion because He is the One who knows how to reassure me when I've fallen, to bring relief from the heartache and sorrow, to minister to my wounds (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).  When I am troubled, Jesus delivers a measure of consolation from His Father, easing the pain as only He can.  

God as my Creator knows me well.  He has the hairs on my head numbered, the thoughts of my head known, and my days recorded in His book.  As such a doting Father, only He knows how to comfort me when I'm hurting.  He is perfectly equipped to give me relief when I'm in desperate need of help.  No matter how much my family, friends or counselors want to help me, God is the One who can give me the compassion I need.

I must understand that true comfort only comes from God and is delivered through faith in Jesus Christ.

Help.  He lay helpless in a pool of blood on the pavement.  No matter how much he may have wanted to get up, he couldn't.  He was in and out of consciousness, completely vulnerable and dependent upon the kindness of others.  Finally, an observant passerby noticed him and called for help.  

In the same way this crime victim could not help himself, I am completely at the mercy of God to help me in my time of need.  I am no more capable of delivering myself from evil, or redeeming my sinful self from the death I deserve, or lifting myself up out of the pit of despair than this wounded man was able to come to his own assistance.  I need intervention, outside help.  

God is the One who can help me in my time of need (Psalm 121:2).  He is the One who sent Jesus to buy me back from the punishment my sins earned me.  The Lord is the only One who can give me hope where there seems to be none.

I must understand that my help comes from God and is extended through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not want to be separated from His Father.  It was more than just His closeness to Him, but rather what I need to understand in order to live as His child.  He didn't want to be estranged from His Father because He is the source of everything that is necessary, is the One who can comfort perfectly, and is from where true help comes.  When I get how important my Father is, I will make sure to stay connected to Jesus who delivers such benefits to me.  Then I will have the same attitude as Jesus did and say I'll endure anything but separation from my Father!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can understand how much I need God.

When do I think I can go it alone, that my suffering can be handled apart from God?

How do I minimize my dependence upon God?