Day 30 of 40 Following the Prayer Steps of Jesus

Today is the 30th day of Lent, a 40 day season of spiritual reflection, repentance, and renewal.  During these 40 days we’ll explore the prayer life of Jesus, walking chronologically through every mention of Jesus’ prayer life and prayers in the Gospels.

Here is today’s prayer event: 33And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. (Mk. 15:33-37 ESV)

Abandoned.  Deserted.  Discarded.  Dumped.  Neglected.  Cast off.  Forsaken. 

This is a strange word coming out of the mouth of the Son.  After all, Jesus is the one-in-three.  Just as you and I have never known life without skin or oxygen or a heartbeat, Jesus has never known life without Trinitarian community. 

Accepted.  Included.  Remembered.  Nurtured.  Received.  Embraced. 

These are the words that should be coming out of the mouth of the Son.  These are the words that describe what has been as characteristic to Jesus’ life as breathing is to ours.  Yet here Jesus is, forsaken. 

Note what Jesus does: he prays.  He prays to the very one whom he feels has abandoned him.  Jesus prays hard words.  He prays raw words.  But the important thing is that Jesus prays.  He keeps communicating.  He does not hang up just because he feels the Father has.

Therein lays the most important aspect of lament or complaint.  When we are wounded and upset, what matters most is not the kind or quality of our words, just presence of our words.  Keep communicating.  Keep talking.  Keep praying.

Is there something in your life about which you’ve just stopped talking to God?  Is there a pain, an injury, or a wound that you no longer share with God?  What is on your no-talk list?  Take time today and this week to re-start the communication with God in that area.  Even if you have to use hard and raw words, just start talking to God again.

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