“The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” Exodus 15:2
“The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of the pain, thanking God during the trials, trusting Him when we are tempted to lose hope, and loving Him when He seems distant and far away. At my lowest, God is my hope. At my darkest, God is my light. At my weakest, God is my strength. At my saddest, God is my comfort.” – Unknown
As Jesus hung on the cross bearing the sins of the world, He cried out to His Father, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” It is so important that we not miss that tiny possessive pronoun, “My.” In the English language, a possessive pronoun is used to denote possession or ownership of something. We use “my” to describe something that belongs to us. It is significant that in the very moment that God was forsaking Jesus because of our sin, Jesus did not turn His back on His Father. In His darkest hour He did ask, “Why?” but He did not lose faith in the goodness of His Father.
Even when everything and everyone was against Him, Jesus still trusted in His Heavenly Father. Even when God did not answer Jesus’ prayer to, “take this cup from me,” Jesus’ faith held firm. In His most deeply human moment of pain, grief, suffering, and questioning, Jesus held on to what He knew about His Father.
It is not wrong to question God. He can handle our questions. History can handle the “when” questions. Geography can handle the “where” questions. Science can handle the “what” questions. Only God can answer the “why questions.”
Always remember that when you run into the “whys?” of life, they should not drive you away from God. They should draw you to Him. Never let the water of doubt extinguish the fire of your faith. It is possible to both question, and believe. Like Jesus, hold on to that possessive pronoun, even when you experience hardship and suffering. Always remember that God is your God, because Jesus is your Savior.
Dear God, thank You for being my God. It is not because of anything I have done, but because of what Christ has done for me that I can call you mine. No matter what I face, I will never stop calling You “My God.” In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Trials and Tribulations
