Why Have You Forsaken Me?

The Salvation Army you're listening to wonderful words of life. Welcome back everybody. This is the day that the Lord hath made us rejoice and be glad in it. Happy Easter to all of you that are listening to this episode, Christ the Lord is risen today. He is risen indeed.

This is our final episode of our Easter series with Ken and Amy are.were so grateful for them and I hope that their story has been a blessing to you and if you are currently experiencing a mental health crisis. I pray that their story has given you.

Hope I second that. Sure, we are truly grateful to the artist assuring their hearts and their testimonies with us in this episode we study some of the final moments in Jesus's life. There are times, especially when experiencing a period of depression that we may ask my God, why have you forsaken me, and you know what Bernie it's okay to ask that this but it's because it's important for us to realize that just because were Christ followers doesn't mean that you know we put on a mask like everything is okay in our lives right. I mean, there are real serious situations that were going through People go through as Christ followers and it's it's important for us to know is, as Christ followers that it's okay to not be okay and that Jesus understands exactly where we are. I mean, that's the beauty of the gospel that he understands because he went through it. He went to rejection.

He went through pain. He went through his closest friends betraying him right and so he understands that he comes alongside of us and he helps us to heal right and so I you know it's really important to know that if you're not feeling all of this celebration and in the feelings again are not of celebrating Easter season. Don't don't feel bad about that but understand and know that Christ meet you where you are and he sees you and he wants to bring you to a place where those feelings match the reality and the truth of what he has done for you on the cross.

From a biblical perspective we go to James chapter 1 verse three that this is hard to grasp, particularly in crisis, but says consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith develops perseverance. The thing is I don't I don't want to go through the pain to get to the victory. A lot of us just want the victory, but the reality is there is sin in the world will were sinful people and we have to when we are going through those trials when we made it through those trials we can come alongside other people and help them through similar situations were not alone.

Absolutely Jesus went through the same thing in the garden million-member when he said when he said father if this cup can be taken from me you want to go through it either but he knew the victory. On the other side was so worth it and that victory is ours today through Christ Jesus will have the resurrection day to you and your family. We hope you had a wonderful weekend. If you enjoyed this series, please share with a friend you can have them subscribe to wonderful words of life on their favorite podcast or or visit us@salvationarmysoundcast.org and we love to hear thoughts on the series and your prayer requests so send us an email at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965 � hot series of daily podcast, read a chapter a day from a book in the Bible, followed by an engaging and entertaining time to think about the chapter in the first season of the child. We study the beginning Easter 2020 reading the book of scribe to storytelling. On your favorite podcast or for foundation army found the resurrection day so you mean Easter yes Easter what you okay so bear with me say like I don't enjoy Lent. I don't know that anybody enjoys light and then you have all the gory stories about Jesus. The Good Friday and Easter reminds me of a time where I have to dress up get up insanely early in the morning dress up in a leisure suit which was issued itchy drive all the way to Baltimore and you celebrate in a long long service but does not have good memories for me.

That's interesting because Easter has wonderful memories for me, including Good Friday. I remember Good Friday that for the most part, my mom was not working. Or she was off that day and we would prepare ourselves that morning to go to Good Friday service at noon and then be there for a couple hours but there's also this picture book that my mom would put out, and it was a seasonal book and there was a picture of Jesus dying on the cross and I remember I have that book actually she's given it to me but I remember even as a little girl looking at that book and feeling just so sad that I couldn't do anything to help Jesus and my mom tells me the story that I look up at her and say why could they not put a Band-Aid on Jesus to make him feel but childlike faith and then course Easter Sunday was yeah we got up early but I'm a morning person so maybe I started young with that but Easter Sunday morning we got up and I'm from a peninsula so sunrise service was always on the water, literally watching the sun come up so you and I have two different views. Memories of of Easter will maybe have a little bit too much PTSD going on, you guys again Easter now is a pastor is somebody has to get up and said all that stuff up before 6 o'clock. You know you can't just go up there and enjoy the sunrise over the water, there has to be all this stuff that has to happen in coming up to Easter and Good Friday services and I know churches are probably more busy during this this week than any other time and it just becomes a stressful time okay well let's let's dive into what we want to share today will I think that's what we do want to share is this issue that for Easter and the victory of the resurrection is not a feel-good to everybody because we live in this world of the.

The kingdom is here but not yet. And sometimes we think that while Jesus is all the answers to our problems.

Jesus doesn't fix everything and make us glorified on Easter Sunday. Yes, he is the answer to all of our problems were not stuck were not stuck in that false narrative that we have been telling ourselves over and over again.

And when we find ourselves in that valley, it's okay. It's that it's a time that God is working in us with us through us and his grace is sufficient for us know stuff isn't good, the bad circumstances are not going to go away. But Jesus promises the walk-through with his grace and that sufficient even in the midst of our weaknesses. When I think about Hebrews chapter 11 after the writer of Hebrews is went through all the stories of faith. It says I could tell stories of more and more people and about how how many great things they did, but then it ends with others were tortured and refused to be release so that they might gain a better resurrection some face cheers flogged while still others were chained put in prison.

They were stoned, they were sawed in half their put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskin's destitute, persecuted and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. They were commended for their faith.

Yet none of them even received what has been promised for God plan something better for us so that only together with us they would be paid perfect and then you get in the gray line since were surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and let us fix our eyes on Christ. I remember the cloud of witnesses that came around me and they gave me permission to feel what I was feeling to experience it, and also permission and encouragement to walk through it and so today Ken and I want to be that for you. God has created us with like this every day with Jesus you can do it so happy Easter. After all, the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good. Helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and we would love to hear from you. Email us at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org. Call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 when you contact us will send you our gift for this series is totally free for listeners like you, one per household, while supplies last.

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