They say it was a Friday that Jesus made His way to the cross. All day I've thought about Him, making that walk. After being beaten, he continued on, carrying His cross. He was God, but man, so He felt the pain and suffering. And yet He endured it, for me, for all of mankind. How?
No doubt He did it in prayer. He knew it was in God's strength that He needed to carry on. I think so often in life that is the key we are missing. We wonder how we will get through another day at our job or marriage. We wonder how we can handle the pain of rejection or physical pain. We can't imagine living through the lay-off, foreclosure, death of a loved one...when the truth is, maybe we can't. Maybe we will only survivor it with God. Maybe only by crying out to Him, moment by moment, asking for His strength to press on.
Notice God provided for Jesus, every step of the way. Someone to carry His cross, the face of His mother and the love of a brother, a stranger to stand up for Him when He was being ridiculed. Did you know God desires to do the same for you? A friend to pray with, a rainbow to cheer up your day, maybe the love of your child to melt your heart of stone. But we may need to take the first step. WE might need to call (or text) a friend when we need prayer. We might need to take the time to look up to see His glory in the sky. We may need to scoop our child into our lap and squeeze them tight.
Jesus died on the cross so we could have a personal relationship with Him. That doesn't happen unless WE seek Him through prayer and His word. It's not easy, I'll be the first to admit. And there will still be "You've got to be kidding me!" days. But, the blessings will come, and when they do, how sweet they are. So, I encourage you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, remember this Good Friday, the power of the Cross. There is nothing in this world you need to go through alone. All God asks is for you reach out to Him...He is already reaching out for you.
