“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ 

“Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, ‘This Man is calling for Elijah!’ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

“The rest said, ‘Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.’

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

“So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’”

Matthew 27:45-54

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23 KJV

Jesus felt the severity of being forsaken by God, expressing that on the cross.

His suffering there, He endured for us, so we would never have to experience that loss.

The loss of closeness He’d always felt to His Father had, momentarily, left Him shaken.

Yet He said, “It is finished,” knowing it was the Father’s plan that He had surely undertaken.

From His birth, He was called Emmanuel, “God With Us,” which is what it has meant.

We, as believers, will never be forsaken because of the Son, whom God has sent.

Emmanuel, God with us…
You see, we are not alone.
Emmanuel, God with us…
Through the birth of a Child, God’s presence was shown.
He wouldn’t leave us without knowledge of His love,
But made Himself known, coming down from above.
Emmanuel, God with us…
From God, the Father, came a Baby so mild.
Emmanuel, God with us…
God’s Son was embodied in a holy Child.
Born of a virgin, the handmaiden of the Lord—
From His life, the goodness of God would be poured.
After humble beginnings in a manger stall,
His name would become great—He would die for all,
So that any individual living on this earth
Could personally know their God of great worth.
Emmanuel, God with us…
It’s the greatest name known.
Emmanuel, God with us in Jesus,
And now we need never be alone!

P. A. Oltrogge

“Jesus shouted to the crowds, ‘If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.  I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.” John 12:44-46 NLT

“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.” Psalm 91:15

“…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.“ Hebrews 13:5

“…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

In troubled moments or times, when things look bad, we may be tempted to lose faith in God’s nearness; (“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10) but we know that God is good and is always with us–being forsaken is never the case.  He lives in us and is always here…and works through us to help those who are suffering and in need….

Thank you, Lord, that you will never leave us or forsake us and for your example of demonstrating God’s love….

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory…” Colossians 1:27 KJV

“…He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being” …from Acts 17:27-28

“…and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10

To reinforce this message, with another on the same subject, you may want to visit Joseph Prince’s website for his devotional today.

On another note, Andrew Wommack is covering the important topic of the authority of the believer this week at his website.

Scriptures: NKJV or as noted