March 28: Palm Sunday
At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o'clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mk. 15:1-39)
This account of Jesus's last moments always leaves me in tears. To think that He too, for a moment, thought that He had been forsaken. Enduring all that he had, yet showing how vulnerable he was, making Him like us in a natural way, and very much unlike us in all other ways. It is by no means strange that God chose to allow us to know about our frailties. Paul says that in our weakness, God is made strong. I have come to understand that the weakness he speaks of is not just in times of sorrow and sadness, but every time we fail to turn to Him for the answer to whatever concerns us. I used to think of my weakness as giving into some craving for food that I really did not need and should not eat. But I've come to understand that it has nothing to do with giving in to temptations as much as it has to do with sinking to my weakest moments. As Jesus felt, hanging on the cross, in our weakness, God can do His best work. We become like children, vulnerable and completely dependent. It is in these times that God can control us, use His vessels to their fullest. When we stop, God starts. When we fail, acknowledge our sins with sorrow and ask for forgiveness, God forgets what we've done.
These are dark times, and God needs to get our attention more than ever. In order for the light to shine through, God needs us to make the choice to leave everything that concerns us today and follow Him. (LAK)
Authored: Lethia Kelly (From the annals of Eat the Scroll Ministry, "Hallelujah People - Spring Edition 2000)