Dear Church,
Imagine the scene where Jesus is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Matt 26:38). In anguish he prayed earnestly to the point his sweat was like drops of blood pouring to the ground (Luke 22:44). His pain was so intense and consuming that God had to send an angel from heaven to strengthen him (Luke 22:43). What followed that week was a spiraling of evil from people close to him (Judas), the Jewish leaders, Pilate, the people who cheered him – He suffered more than any man would. And “they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matt 27:28-29). He was tortured in all forms, made to carry a cross and was crucified along with two other criminals. And at about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out from the cross with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)
From the outside this looks like the most horrible day in the history of mankind -yet, God was at work on that day, doing his greatest good in man’s most horrific evil. Never has the banner of Joseph flown so high as that day when Jesus cried, “It is finished.” “What man meant for evil, God meant for good.” (Genesis 50:20) As Peter would soon preach, Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). In the tapestry of God’s sovereign purpose, God stitched “Good” on the single worst day in the history of humankind!
The same truth applies to you and me – no matter what we are going through in life, whatever heights, or depth – its strongholds are not so great that God cannot stitch “Good” for you in Christ Jesus. As I am writing this, the lyrics of the Matt Maher song comes to me, and it goes like this;
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave.
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave.
Here is a link to this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Be Encouraged,
Mathews
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