We can get the ultimate carwash, the one with all the bells and whistles. The ultimate cheeseburger has everything that can possibly be loaded between two buns. The ultimate job? We work on a tropical beach, getting paid for lying supine in the sun.
Those are all good things, because they are the ultimate we can achieve. But what about the opposite side of the coin, when things aren’t going so well? A tornado ravages a town, and the damage is ultimate, leaving no buildings standing. The ultimate financial disaster wipes away our savings, leaving us destitute. The ultimate betrayal tears our family apart, leaving us bereft and lonely.
We despair at our loss, not understanding, simply wanting the pain to go away.
What is the meaning of despair? It is a total loss of hope. It is that moment when we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. When we are enveloped in despair, the devastation feels total, and we cannot find our way to the other side.
Mark 15:34 tells of Jesus and the moment in his life when he experienced that level of total devastation. As God incarnate, we expect Jesus to be master of all things, all circumstances, and all facets of his existence. After all, he turned the water into wine, brought the dead to life, and calmed the seas. What could he not do?
Jesus could not cope with the absence of his Father’s presence.
It was the ninth hour, meaning about 3 p.m. Jesus hung upon the cross, tortured and in severe pain. That wasn’t the worst for him. That wasn’t what filled him with despair. Instead, his words tell that which his circumstances could not: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Jesus had come to the point of ultimate despair. All hope had been stripped from him. He bore the sins of the world on his shoulders, and God turned his face from his Son, for he could no longer bear to look at him.
When we face loss in our lives, we must remember that we have one who has stood where we now stand. Jesus faced the loss of God’s love. He knows the devastation of hopelessness.
He also knows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If we depend on him, we will come out on the other side.
Jesus went from crucified to justified, taking on his rightful role as resurrected savior. He can turn our lives around, if we give everything to him.
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Code: FGO.A.01.14b.vp