GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE PSALM 22 JESUS KNOWS THE STRUGGLE IS REAL2020 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Good Friday Service Psalm 22 Jesus Knows The Struggle Is Real

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2020. It is a good Friday today.

as we take some time to stop and reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus and what that means for us and what he did on our behalf. Tonight, as we consider this, we're going to be working our way through Psalm chapter 22. And so why don't you grab your Bible and open up there to Psalm chapter 22.

And begin to prepare your heart for considering what Jesus has done for us and really allowing the Lord to lead you and instruct you and encourage you in the example that we have and in the love that he poured out for us. And so Psalm chapter 22 is where we're going to be. And Psalm chapter 22 is a Psalm of David.

And so it was written about a thousand years before Christ. And yet in it is these incredible prophecies of what Jesus went through. And Jesus himself quotes from Psalm chapter 22 from the cross. And in that quotation, he calls our attention to this passage that we might turn here and understand what he was going through. Psalm chapter 22 is the experience of David.

but also prophetically the experience of Jesus. And we get to see some of the internal workings, some of the emotions and feelings and things that he experienced here in Psalm chapter 22. So it's a powerful Psalm that has much to speak to us about our Lord Jesus Christ and what he endured as he went to the cross. And so let's begin just by looking at verses one and two here of Psalm chapter 22. It says this,

Let's pray. Lord, we...

come before you this evening to consider this Friday, this Good Friday. We call it good, and it was for good, and it was good, and yet you endured it so that we could call it good. But the experience itself was pretty terrible, was pretty horrific. And Lord, through that, we have so much to learn, so much to gain as we consider this

the passion of the Christ or the suffering that you endured for us. And so, Lord, I pray that you would encourage our hearts this evening. Instruct us through your word that we might know you and appreciate all that you've done for us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, as we think about the suffering of Jesus, it is not something we're going to get into graphic detail about tonight. So don't, if you're nervous about that, I know I chose red as the background color, but I'm not going to make it red in the message itself. But we do need to consider some of the things that are difficult in life and the difficulties that we face and the suffering that Jesus endured.

I was thinking back to many years ago, probably very early on as I was pastoring here at Living Water.

And I remember, I don't remember the message, but I remember as part of the things that God was doing, I invited people to stand up if they were really struggling at that moment in their life. And, you know, there was a pretty much a whole multitude, you know, not really a multitude, you know, living water. But, you know, all of us, we stood up. It was a season of great struggle for everybody within the church individually.

And as everybody stood up, I kind of clarified and said, no, no, no, sit back down. Only stand up if the struggle that you're going through is like the greatest struggle that you've ever faced in your whole life.

And everybody stood up or remained standing. It was still everyone that they would say at that time, this struggle that I'm facing right now, now this is many years ago, but it's the most difficult struggle that I've faced in my whole life. And I've thought about that occasion many times throughout the years, because even though we would stand and testify, that was the greatest difficulty, the greatest struggle, the hardest thing I ever went through,

And yet later on, there was other occasions and there would be more who would testify that even though, yes, that was the hardest point, but it was not the hardest point of my life now because now I'm facing the hardest things that I've ever faced before and going through things that are more difficult than I've experienced before. And today, as we consider the suffering of Jesus Christ, we might find ourselves in that similar position.

Struggling so greatly, maybe even testifying this way this season. It's really tough. It's probably the toughest thing I've faced in my entire life. Or maybe in anticipation of the days ahead, the weeks ahead, there is this sense of mounting difficulty that is coming. Is that how you feel? Are you facing the most difficult times you've ever faced?

Well, I want to encourage you this evening that Jesus understands the struggle. Here as we look at Psalm chapter 22, I've titled the message, Jesus Knows the Struggle is Real. You might testify, you might declare the struggle is real. Boy, I'm really struggling through this time. I'm really nervous about the next season, the things that we're facing right now. I'm not sure how we're going to get through it.

As you wrestle with those things, and as we look at Psalm chapter 22, we begin to understand that Jesus understands our struggles, not just intellectually or theoretically, like he knows about them or because he knows everything because he's God. He knows the struggle is real because he experienced the struggles that we face. He faced them himself. He lived it. He experienced it. And he shows us the way through it.

In Hebrews 2, verse 17 and 18, the author of Hebrews says, In all things, he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. The author of Hebrews there says, Jesus had to be made like us, his brethren.

So that he could be that perfect high priest for us, that merciful and faithful high priest. In that he made propitiation, that is he satisfied the wrath of God against us for our sin. And the only way for that to happen was for him to suffer.

And in that he himself has suffered and being tempted. And we think of temptation immediately, you know, as like a temptation to sin or a trap of the devil. But the word tempted could be tested or tried or tempted. And so it's not just temptations, like you're tempted to eat chocolate, but it also is trials and afflictions. He himself has suffered. He went through the afflictions. And so because of that,

Because he became man and became one of us and suffered in the way that we suffer, he is able to aid. He's able to help in a very real way. He's able to come alongside of us. He's able to give us strength and set the example for us because he endured, he struggled as well.

He faced the same kinds of things that we face. And so in that, we want to look through this psalm and consider the example of Jesus and think about what he struggled with and be encouraged in the things that he endured on our behalf. And so we're going to walk our way through this, beginning in verses 1 through 13 with point number one, and that is Jesus struggled with real emotions.

Jesus struggled with real emotions. He really did become man, which means that he had emotions. He had feelings. He was able to...

feel like you and I feel. You know, emotions and feelings, they're part of how God has created us. They're part of how he has built us to work. And Jesus experienced that as he became man. And here in the first few verses, we see Jesus expressing the emotions that he's experiencing. In verse one, again, he says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Now, of course, originally this was written by David. And we know from the life of David that he went through and endured many difficult things. And so it's very easy to picture this passage in the life of David as well. But this is the statement that Jesus quoted from the cross.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? It probably sounds nothing like the way that I said it, but in English, I can say it pretty well. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Now, Jesus is not actually accusing the father of forsaking him as he quotes this, but he is expressing this.

The very real emotions, the very real feelings that he is experiencing there as he hangs upon the cross. Why are you so far from helping me? And from the words of my groaning, it says in verse 1, Jesus feels forsaken. He feels like the Father is so distant.

that there's the groanings that he's experiencing. There's the groanings that he's uttering. And it feels like there's no one listening on the other end. He says in verse two, I cry in the daytime, but you don't hear. I'm crying in the night season. I'm not silent, but you seem to be. And so he's expressing this feeling of forsakenness, but he's careful. He's

David is, as well as, of course, the Lord Jesus. In verse 3, he says, but you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. He says, you are holy. I feel forsaken, but I'm not accusing the Father of doing something wrong. I'm just expressing how I'm feeling. I'm expressing the emotions and the things that are happening internally. He goes on in the next few verses to really wrestle with the idea that others have cried out to you and they were delivered, but

but not me. In verse 4, it says, Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were delivered. They trusted in you and were not ashamed. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. Jesus looks back in history. David looks back in history and prophetically portrays what Jesus is experiencing in this and thinks about those who God had delivered.

and the ways that God had provided deliverance through the judges, perhaps, or through the prophets, through the kings. And in looking back, he's seeing the pattern of deliverance, but here I am in the midst of my situation, and I'm not seeing that kind of deliverance. I am a worm and no man. The idea of being a worm is just utter worthlessness and helplessness. And Jesus really feels alone in the midst of this.

He says in verse 7, He feels forsaken by the Father. He feels alone as people are against him. As you think about Jesus upon the cross and we look through the Gospels, we can see there was not a lot of people who stood with Jesus.

There was some of the ladies who followed him. There was the apostle John. But the people who were there around him were primarily enemies who were mocking him and accusing him. And these very words, he trusted in the Lord, let him rescue him. These are quoted, not intentionally, but this is the very words that are spoken towards Jesus and of Jesus while he hangs upon the cross. In verse 9, he says, but you are he who took me out of the womb.

Again, here Jesus is expressing his emotion. He's wrestling with what's happening internally, and he feels so alone. There is no one to help. But you're God. You're the Father. You're the Father.

I've been trusting you. I've been relying upon you. I've been in your care since the very beginning. And so I'm still there. Even though I'm wrestling with all these things internally. Even though I'm experiencing these emotions.

Feeling forsaken, feeling alone. And he goes on in verse 12 and 13 to describe how he's feeling attacked. In verse 12, it says, Here the Lord is saying, there's these attacks. I'm just surrounded. I'm encircled. And there's these strong bulls with these sharp horns and they're gaping at me.

They're seeking to hurt, to harm. Jesus is feeling attacked. He's feeling alone. He's feeling forsaken. He knows the struggle is real. He felt that struggle, that internal battle, those emotions that were raging, that were so painful and agonizing within. But it wasn't just internal things that Jesus dealt with.

Jesus also struggled with real physical pain. In verses 14 through 18, we get a little glimpse of that. In verse 14, it says, I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It has melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue clings to my jaws. You have brought me to the dust of death.

Here Jesus describes his physical exhaustion. I'm poured out like water, he says. I'm just completely empty. I have nothing left, nothing in the tank, no reserves. I'm poured out like water. He says, all my bones are out of joint. And this is an interesting statement as you think about the cross. There's...

Well, the position that someone would hang upon the cross, they were positioned in such a way that there would be great pressure upon the joints of the elbows and the shoulder as they hung from the beam. And those joints would, well, they would come out of joints. They would pop out of their sockets. And the arms of a person who was crucified would be stretched out.

as a result of the position and the hanging upon the cross. Jesus experienced great pain, excruciating pain. His bones are out of joint. His heart, he says, is like wax. As you think about the statement in John chapter 19, and the heart of Jesus being pierced after his death, and blood and water pouring out. Medical professionals tell us that the presence of water that John indicates is there, but

shows us or tells us that there was a heart issue. And so it's often been said that Jesus died of a broken heart.

That there was a heart issue as a result of the stress and the pain and the agony that he endured there at the cross. He says, my heart's melted within me like wax. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt. A pot shirt is a piece of broken pottery. And so you can think about a piece of broken pottery that's just been abandoned and laid out in the sun and it just gets dried out. It's sharp, it's crusty.

Jesus feels that way, just dried out completely. My tongue clings to my jaws. You've brought me to the dust of death. He goes on in verse 16 to say, For dogs have surrounded me. The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me. They divide my garments among them. And for my clothing, they cast lots.

Here Jesus describes a little bit more of crucifixion. His hands pierced, his feet pierced as they nailed him to the cross. And yet at the same time, he says, I can count all my bones. And this is an interesting parallel to the Passover lamb and how it was to be treated and sacrificed and bones were not to be broken.

In the same way, Jesus, although he endured so much, his bones were not broken. He hung there upon the cross as that Passover lamb, as that sacrifice on our behalf. And he's empty. He's poured out. He's in agony. He says, they divide my garments among them. For my clothing, they cast lots. He's broken.

All of the physical pain that he's experiencing mixed in with the emotional things that he's encountering as well. It all intertwines. It all intersects. And you know how that is. Everything happens at once. Jesus knows the struggle is real because he endured. He encountered. He lived the struggle. And yet he was able to press on to endure pain.

Because of his relationship to the Father. And that brings us to point number three this evening. And that is Jesus endured with real faith. Jesus endured. How could he survive the great emotions? How could he survive the agony of pain? It was more than just a regular crucifixion. Other people were crucified. But it was worse in Jesus' case. Because he was dying not just physically physically.

but he was experiencing the penalty of sin that you and I deserve. And so his emotions were great. He suffered greatly. He struggled greatly, but he endured with real faith. Look at verses 19 through 21. It says, but you, O Lord, do not be far from me.

Verse 21 is interesting. It really marks a turning point in this psalm. The first part of the psalm leading up to this, we see the expression of emotions. We see the expression of the agony and the pain that is going on.

But here at the end of verse 21, he says, you have answered me. And David, as he's writing this, we don't know what situation he was in and how the Lord answered him, but there was a turning point for him. And it reflects, it models for us the turning point for Jesus as the father ministers to the hearts of Jesus. He cries out, he says, do not be far from me, oh my strength. He's continuing to look to the Lord personally.

I like what Pastor David Guzik says about this. He says, He didn't abandon God because he felt abandoned. That's true of David. It's true of Jesus. He felt the things. They were real emotions. They were real feelings. But he didn't turn away.

Do not be far from me, O my strength. And he presents the request, hasten to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life, from the power of the dog. Now in David's case, we know he survived whatever he was experiencing as he was writing these things. They were very real emotions for him, real emotions, real pain. He was in a very dangerous situation, whatever it was. And he went on to...

write other things later on. He went on to live out longer in his life. This psalm is not the end of David's life. So we see this answered in David. And as Jesus quotes from this psalm and points us back to here, we see the same thing, but it's, well, carried out in a different way. Jesus was delivered from death, not the way that David was. He was delivered from death through resurrection.

David was delivered from death through some type of deliverance and salvation that prevented his death. But Jesus died. He encountered death. He experienced death. And yet he still experienced the deliverance of the Father. He still conquered death. He still rose from the dead. And it was through resurrection that he experienced the victory that he extends to you and I. And so he endured with real faith.

He did not depart from the Father or from that relationship with the Father, from trusting in the Father. And there is this indication here, you have answered me. Moving on to verses 22 through 25, we get the fourth point for this evening, and that is Jesus considered the joy of real fellowship.

In the midst of all of the things that were going on, in the midst of the emotions, in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the prayer and trusting in the Father, he was looking ahead at the things that were to come. He was looking ahead at the future events and specifically the people that this was all for. In verse 22, he says, I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly. I will praise you.

Verse 25. Verse 25.

It's interesting to consider, especially in the moment that we're in at this time, Jesus looking forward to the assembling of the brethren. I'm looking forward to the assembling of the brethren. Are you? It's great to have, you know, the technology. It's great to have the ability to still interact and have service together and worship the Lord together. Oh, but there's something special about the gathering together of the brethren.

And there is Jesus there upon the cross feeling forsaken and so alone, knowing that it's worth it, having great faith and not wavering in that. And he's got his eyes fixed. The book of Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that it was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross. It was that joy that was set before him. And here we see him say, I will declare your name to my brethren. Jesus calls us his brethren.

Again, he became one of us. He experienced what we experience. He suffered like we suffer and even to a greater degree. He knows the struggle is real, but he's looking beyond the struggle to the victory, to the gathering together, the celebration of victory. He says, I will declare your name to my brethren. Another quote here from the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10 tells us it was fitting for him.

The idea and the understanding that Jesus is God who became man is more than just the fact that he experienced humanity.

But there's a reality of oneness between us and him that happens as a result. He really became one of us. We are able to latch on to him, to identify with him, and to be part of him and his eternity as a result. And so it tells us here in Hebrews chapter 2, it was fitting, it was good, it was right, that the captain of our salvation would be made perfect through sufferings because we suffer.

And so it was right, it was fitting for our Savior to experience the kinds of sufferings that we go through, even to a greater degree. And so there's no one who suffered more than Jesus. As much as we suffer and as much as we might stand up and say, yes, this is the most difficult time, the most difficult season of my life, it still doesn't compare to what Jesus endured on our behalf. And what he considered as he was going through that, what he looked forward to was after Jesus.

The suffering was done in faith, knowing the victory was guaranteed, that there would be the gathering together of the brethren. He is still looking forward to that. Although we can have fellowship with the Lord right now by faith, because of what he's done for us, we have access to God because of the forgiveness and grace that extended towards us. And yet at the same time, there is still that future fellowship.

And for you and I, as we encounter the things of this life, as we encounter sufferings and difficulties and struggles, we can really learn some valuable lessons here from Jesus. First of all, to really trust the Father, to believe the promises of God, to have real faith. But then also not to just be consumed with the moment. There are difficulties that we face. There are struggles that we will encounter. But we need to look ahead at the completed work.

We need to look forward to the fellowship, the greater fellowship that we will have with Christ as a result of our sufferings, the greater fellowship that we'll have with Christ in the victory of all of these things, and the fellowship that we'll have in the midst of the assembly, in the midst of one another. And so he calls for us to praise the Lord. He says in verse 23, you who fear the Lord, praise him, glorify him, or to rejoice and to celebrate him.

as we look forward to the things that he has in store for us. Verse 24 is interesting. It says, God has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. When we are afflicted, sometimes we...

associate affliction with God's despising us. We're afflicted and so we feel like there is this despising that God is upset with us perhaps. Sometimes we go through affliction and we feel like we're forgotten. Going back to the beginning, we feel forsaken. We feel abandoned. But here what the Lord is saying is that affliction is a part of life. But the Father has not despised that affliction. He has instead

worked out a way for that affliction to be a tool, to be an instrument, to be something valuable in our lives. He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. So that Paul is able to give us the promise in Romans chapter 8, that he works all things together for good to those who love him and are the called according to his purpose.

that we can have this hope, this promise, this guarantee that even the afflictions that we face, God hasn't abhorred or despised those afflictions. They're not meaningless. They're not worthless to him. No, they're valuable. They're an important part of what he seeks to accomplish for the good of us for all of eternity. And so he says in verse 25, my praise shall be of you in the great assembly. At the end, we're going to praise God.

In the midst of the suffering, it might be hard to envision that or imagine that. But Jesus grasps hold of that promised future. He knows this suffering is not in vain. It is in pain. It's not in vain. It's not worthless, but it's worthwhile. It's accomplishing something far greater. So it's worth it. My praise shall be of you in the great assembly.

Jesus looks forward to that eternity with you. He looks forward to that time with you. He looks forward to that relationship with you. And so he says it's worth it. The affliction is worth it. The Father hasn't despised it. I don't despise it. It's valuable. It's worth it to accomplish these purposes, the fellowship that we have with one another and with the Father.

Well, finally, as we look at the closing verses, verses 26 through 31, we get the fifth point for this evening, and that is that Jesus conquered with real hope. Verse 26 says, The poor shall eat and be satisfied. Those who seek him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

For the kingdom is the Lord's, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow down before him, even he who cannot keep himself alive. A posterity shall serve him. It will be recounted of the Lord in the next generation. They will come and declare his righteousness to a people who will be born that he has done this.

Here is the psalmist continues, as David continues, he's looking ahead in faith, in hope that there's going to be life beyond this season of suffering. It feels like perhaps the poor will never be satisfied. Their hunger will endure forever. It feels like perhaps those who seek the Lord won't be able to praise because they will just continue this season of suffering.

But he looks ahead with hope. Now, biblically, hope is not something that is wishful thinking. It is a certainty, a guarantee that just has not come to pass yet. Whether or not it's going to come to pass is not the question. It's just a matter of timing. When will it come to pass? And there will be a time where the poor shall eat and be satisfied. And those who are struggling and those who are hungry and it's difficult to face those days,

And yet there is this promise there will be the day where the poor will be satisfied. And it might be in this life or it might be in eternity, but there is that promise. And so Jesus held fast to hope, knowing the guarantee, looking forward to those days of rejoicing and celebration. He says, "...all the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord."

Those aren't the days that we're living in yet. And so it's still future for us where all of the world will turn to the Lord and all the families of the earth will worship before him. We're able to join with Jesus, just like we fellowship with him in the sufferings. We fellowship with him in the hope of the things that are promised that are yet to come.

For the kingdom is the Lord's. It's going to happen. It's not a question because the kingdom is the Lord's. He rules over the nations. And nations can plot and they can manipulate and they can conspire and they can do their best attempts at thwarting the plan of God and accomplishing their own purposes. But he rules over them. They can't escape that. No nation is above the Lord and no nation can defeat the Lord's plans.

And so there is that day that is coming because the kingdom is the Lord's. The prosperous, he says, shall eat and worship. And those who go down to the dust shall bow before him. There's life beyond this. Even if this ends our life here, there's life beyond this. Jesus says, I've come that you may have life. And whoever believes in me, even if he dies, yet he shall live.

Because of my work upon the cross, he grants us eternal life. And so even when the physical comes to an end, we have this hope, not wishful thinking, this guarantee, this promise of eternity with him and with the Father. And so there's going to be life beyond this. Jesus grasps hold of this hope, of this reality, of this guarantee, and he conquers. He conquers the grave. He conquers sin. He conquers death.

death. Jesus knows the struggle is real. As we think about the crucifixion of Jesus tonight, I would encourage you to really identify with him.

To really understand that the things that he experienced were real. He didn't like disassociate himself from his body. And it was just like, you know, his body was going through things, but he's off, you know, because he's God. He can just do whatever he wants, right? So, you know, he's not really feeling the things that are going on. No, no, Jesus was there. He was present for every moment.

Remember when they offered Jesus wine to drink and he refused it? No, no, no. I'm not going to dull the pain. I'm not going to be removed from the situation. Jesus experienced every moment of the emotional turmoil, of the feelings that were going on, of all the internal struggles that were happening. He went through that for real for you. He experienced the pain. He could have come down from the cross. He could have prevented it.

the beatings. He could have prevented all of those things, but he endured them. He felt them. He didn't like, you know, check out and he's just off on a island beach, you know, somewhere just having a good time in a hammock, you know, just relaxing and enjoying the sun. No, he was there in that moment. He felt the pain. He endured the struggles, the agony, again, for you. And he did so with real faith, looking to the Father.

Even when he couldn't feel the Father, even when he felt distant from the Father, even when it didn't feel like there was going to be an end to these things, he trusted in the plans of the Father, the plans of God. And he set his eyes on the things to come. He considered the joy of real fellowship. And he realized this is worth it. My people are worth it. Their joy, their salvation, their redemption is worth it.

So he conquered sin, he conquered death with real hope. Again, not wishful thinking, but that promise, that guarantee of eternity that God has established for us. And so as we consider the cross of Christ, I want to finish up with one last quotation from the book of Hebrews, this time from Hebrews chapter 4, where the author of Hebrews says, For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are,

yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. As we think about the cross and appreciate what Christ has done for us, let it encourage you. Let it stir you up to run to Jesus. He's our high priest, and he truly can sympathize with our weaknesses.

No matter what it is you're struggling with, if it is a temptation in the affliction and trial sense, or if it is a temptation in the other sense, we have a high priest who can sympathize. He didn't sin, but he knows what it's like to feel those attacks, to feel those feelings, to have those emotions, to have those struggles. He knows what it's like. He can sympathize. Run to the Lord.

He was in all points tempted as we are. He was tested at every angle, at every degree, and yet he was without sin, which sometimes we think, well, you know, see, he doesn't really know what I'm going through. But the reality is that means he struggled more. He felt more of the temptation. He felt more of the affliction because he did so without sin. So the author of Hebrews says, let us therefore come boldly.

You don't have to hide. You don't have to, you know, come ashamed. You can come boldly. You don't have to come timidly, you know, expecting God to beat you over the head. You can come boldly or freely to the throne of grace. You don't have to put yourself on time out and stay away from him and try to punish yourself for how you feel or what you're experiencing. Come boldly, come freely to the throne of grace.

and you will obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need that's what the cross is all about the cross the suffering of christ is there on that day it was about bringing forth mercy and grace to help you in your time of need your greatest need is salvation and so your time of need is right now in salvation and trusting in god in the forgiveness of sins but in lesser needs as well

in the needs of finances, in the needs of relationships, in the needs of hunger or thirst or whatever you might be experiencing. Come boldly to the throne of grace. Let the cross of Jesus Christ encourage you. He knows what it's like. He's one of us. He became like you. So he understands. You can trust him. You can run to him. You can find help in times of need. Let's pray.

Lord, we come before you this evening and we do thank you for the cross. The things that you experienced and the things that you endured, Lord, it's beyond our ability to really comprehend and understand. It's painful for us even to think about the things that you went through. And yet, Lord, you looked at us and you said, it's worth it. For their sake, you said, I'll sanctify myself. I'll walk this path. Lord, you cried out to the Father and said, if there's another way,

Because this is going to be painful. This is going to be tough. If there's another way, let's go that route. There was no other way. So Jesus, thank you for providing the only way, for enduring the cross for our sake. And Lord, as we face now the battles of this life, and we encounter struggles that you're familiar with, internally, externally, you're so aware, and you're so present in the midst of our situations. Even when we feel forsaken, Lord, you know what that's like.

We're not forsaken. You're with us. And you promised to never leave us or forsake us. So Lord, we look to you tonight. And I pray for each one with whatever battles, with whatever struggles we face. Help us, Lord, to run to you, to come freely and boldly to find the help that we need in your grace and in your mercy. Help us, Lord, to follow your example, to have real faith and trust in your promises.

to look forward with great hope and anticipation to the joy of fellowship with you. And you're going to use these things in our lives to bring a greater joy and a greater fellowship with you and with the people around us. And so, Lord, may we have hope, not wishful thinking, but that guaranteed absolute certainty of knowing that we will be with you. You're so good to us, God. We don't always feel it that way, but it's true. And so may we look to you and grasp hold of you.

in the midst of the things that we face. We love you, Jesus. Thank you for your help. Thank you for the cross. We pray this in Jesus' name.