Skip to content

Suffering

Learning to Pray From Jesus #4

As part of our series on the prayers of Jesus, we come to a prayer that is the kind of prayer which is familiar to many us.  It’s a prayer of thanksgiving.  Even if you don’t pray often, you probably have prayed this kind of prayer: Thank you God for this food…Thank you God for helping me pass the test…Thank you God it’s Friday.  Prior to this prayer of thanksgiving, we’ve heard Jesus pray in ways that may have been seemed challenging: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.  But now we move into what seems to be easy-going territory: Thank you.Read More »Learning to Pray From Jesus #4

Learning to Pray From Jesus #1

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” [ee’ly-ee’ly-lah’muh-suh-bahk’thuh-nee] (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).  47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”  48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”   50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.” (Matt. 27:45-50 TNIV)

In our text we find Jesus in the worst circumstances which life could bring a human upon earth.  They are the darkest circumstances possible.  Just look at this darkness.Read More »Learning to Pray From Jesus #1