Wait for it…
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”
In Jesus’ humanity, in his suffering and turmoil, cried out to the Lord. In his pain and anguish, he fulfilled the plan set out for him.
Waiting for God’s plan can be painful. There can be confusion, frustration, or a seemingly never-ending string of efforts that don’t seem to change anything. God doesn’t promise a life of ease, no matter how “good” we are. Look at Jesus, the only perfect human being to ever walk the Earth, yet he had experienced his portion of suffering. This trying process is something through which we learn about God, through which we learn about what it means to be rooted in faith. When was the last time you felt frustrated or confused at a situation? How did that impact your faith?
We don’t have His foresight, so during the process, we don’t know how things will turn out. In Jesus’ case though — He knew… Yet still had to face his impending suffering in order to complete the will of God.
Do you ever just get frustrated at your faith — or at God and just wish that you could see him working in a situation? Working faster, or more evidently? The crowd mocked Jesus in this way. They told him to prove himself as the Son of God by saving himself. “Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” Matt. 27:42b. But God doesn’t work like that. Not on our schedule. We can’t say “God, if you do XYZ, then I’ll attribute it to you. Then I’ll believe you’re at work.” Indeed God’s thoughts are higher than our own. His timing for his own plan is impeccable, and his handiwork we oft cannot appreciate until we are further in time removed. All we can do in times of trouble is remember God’s work and trust fervently.
As we prepare for Easter, think about the pain Jesus went through. Imagine the pain of a crown of thorns pushed upon a head… The strike of a nail hammering through flesh… Painful gasps of breath for multiple agonizing hours. Through this suffering, Jesus had even more glory upon his resurrection. The goodness of his glory surely was more than the painfulness of his crucifixion. Suffering and waiting can be disheartening, but it will be worth it.
