How to Rejoice in the Cross

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Think about it: the Father’s love was beyond Jesus’ reach. He was shut out from the Father’s love, and yet He said, “My God, my God…”

This is of huge importance for our faith. God said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). That is His promise. But there will be dark times in your life when you simply cannot feel the love of God. When these times come, you need to know that Jesus has been there.

C. H. Spurgeon said: “I would like to put this personally to any tried child of God. Are you going to let go of your God because you have lost his smile? Then I ask you: did you base your faith upon his smile? If you did, you mistook the true ground of faith. The ground of a believer’s confidence is not God’s smile, but God’s promise.”

You have a Saviour who you can come to in the darkest moments of your life, when you feel that God is nowhere near you, because He Himself has been there. “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses…” (Heb. 4:15). Your Saviour has a tenderness toward you that no one else in the world could ever have for you.

Are you in a dark place now? If you cannot feel the love or the presence of God, will you turn to your Saviour today, who has great compassion for you?