My God, My God

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? 

Psalm 22:1 

Christ was the suffering Savior. It is good for us to dwell upon His agonies. The more we understand the depths of His sufferings, knowing He was enduring these painful experiences in order to purchase our redemption, the more we appreciate the cost of it. This will increase our estimation of Christ. Our text contains words Christ uttered from the cross. They are one in the list of His seven sayings from the cross. He used these words in the depths of His excruciating agony of body and soul. It was during this torturous experience that He ‘poured out His soul unto death’ as Isaiah puts it. During this time God the Father ‘made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin.’ As He pulled the curtain of darkness over the place where His only begotten Son hung, transfixed between heaven and earth, the Father turned His face away from Him and would not look upon Him. Christ was aware of that turning away, and cried out, ‘my God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ This was His soul crying out in anguish. This was the length to which Christ was willing to go to purchase our redemption. He was willing for His Father to treat Him as if He was sin itself. This is our magnificent Savior. This is the Christ we exalt. He is altogether worthy.  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You were willing to endure such sufferings for us. 
We praise You that with Your stripes,  
we are healed. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning