“From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
-Matthew 27:45-46
In the above verses, Jesus is calling out Psalm 22:1. This Psalm is a cry by David to God for help. This Psalm speaks to suffering. The speaker felt that God wasn’t going to intervene. The psalmist felt like God was far away.
Have you ever felt God was far away? How did you cope with that?
For me, I felt distant from God last year. 2024 was one of the worst times of my life from the start to the end. There was stress around every corner. We didn’t know if we were going to lose our apartment, or if our car was going to make it… My marriage, though strong, had endless fights because of the pressure. I cried nearly every day. And if you know me, then you know I’m not an emotional person. Y’all, when you hit your bottom, you’ll express it whether you like it or not; I cried out to God more times than I ever did before. I felt my faith slipping at times… It felt like I was alone. Alone on an island. I felt like I was the only one, or the only one who had felt that way. But can I tell you, disciples, that just wasn’t true.
“If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him;
on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I shall come out like gold.”-Job 23:8-10
Job is a book in the Bible that shows a righteous man who experiences an immense amount of suffering for no reason. Job, in his faithfulness, cries out to God time and time again, with no response. Not until the very end at least.
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain[a] in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord
because he has dealt bountifully with me.”-Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? Have you ever been in the hardest of times in your life, a desert, and thought, “How long, O Lord?! How long until the end? How long until Your Son comes? How long will I have to endure?!”
Scripture tells us in Psalm 37:7 to be still and to wait on the Lord. Yet, when we are in times of trouble, it can feel like torture to be still, to be patient, and to have faith.
Going back to Jesus on the cross, he feels our pain too. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus died feeling all the sin and punishment the whole world and all the generations escaped. He felt the separation from God the Father magnified beyond our comprehension.
Today’s sermon, much like in Job, may not give you an exact answer. Why? How? Why am I having to go through trials? How long do I have to hold on? No, I can’t answer that. But what I can do is point to Christ. God became man to suffer along with us, to see what we see, to feel what we feel. But we are never alone in the pain. Jesus sent the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh at Pentecost so that we are not alone. He quite literally dwells within and around us.
God may not always answer us when we want Him to, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t there. He is experiencing it with us. He is holding onto us in the midst. God’s silence is never empty, and neither are we.
God commands us in the hardest of times to hold on to our faith communities.
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
-Matthew 18:20
We are not in this alone. Lean on God’s saints, His church members. Let us carry you as He carries us. Let us help you:
- stand still
- wait
- listen
- seek
- hope
- and have faith
In times of today and what we have to face in the coming days, hold tight to each other through the silence. We are not forsaken; God stands on His promises. Hold on. Together. Hold on to your siblings in Christ.
I want to leave you with lyrics to a song titled “I’m Still Holding On” by Luther Barnes and The Sunset Jubilaires (1984):
They said I wouldn’t make it
They said I wouldn’t be here today
They said I never amount to anything
But I’m glad to say, that I’m on my way
And I’m going more and more each dayThere were many that started out with me
But now, they’ve gone astray
But I’m still holding on
I’m still holding on
I’m still holding to his handYou see when I was young, I gave God my hand
And I told him to lead the way
Though the road has been rough
And the goings been mighty tough, stillI aint going nowhere, I’m right here to stay
Though I’ve been talked about and Oh I’ve been criticized
I had to wipe many tears from my eyes
But I’m still holding on
I’m still holding on
I’m still holding on to his handAnd I’m still, I’m still holding on (holding On)
Yes I’m still in God’s holy plan
I’m still, I’m still holding on (holding on)
And I’m bound for the promise land
I will never, I will never let (I’ll never let go of His hand) go of His hand
Through trials and tribulations, I’m still
I’m still holding on (holding On)Yes I’m still in God’s holy plan, though you’ve scandalized my name
I’m still, I’m still holding on (holding on)
And I’m bound for the promise land
I will never, I will never let (I’ll never let go of His hand) go of His hand
I will never, I will never let (I’ll never let go of His hand) go of His hand, His hand (I’ll never, never, never)
I will never, I will never let (I’ll never let go of His hand) go of His hand (never, never, never, never, never)
(I will never, never let go)
Amen.
Pastor Alex