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May 10, 2024 06:00am

Dread

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My friend desperately needed back surgery. He struggled for so long with pain that it disabled him to the point where he couldn’t work, walking was challenging, and sitting for long periods was grueling.

But he didn’t want to have the surgery. He knew he needed it; he knew eventually, according to the doctors, his way of life would improve dramatically. But it was the thought of the pain that would come from it that seemed so unbearable.

The day had come for the surgery, and he was filled with dread.

John 12:27-28a

“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
28 Father, glorify thy name.”

Jesus knew what was ahead, and he dreaded it.

The crucifixion.

Stripped, beaten flesh ripped away from the body, nailed to a cross through His hands and His feet… and it wouldn’t end there. He would then be hoisted up, hanging by those nails, on display for all to see. Waiting. Suffocating. Writhing in pain. But the worst wasn’t just the physical pain.

When Jesus went to the cross, He took upon Himself the sins of the world. This perfect, sinless, beautiful man bore the sins of mankind. Because God is Holy, He could not look upon His own Son and had to turn His face away from Jesus.

That was what was unbearable—the separation from God.

And He still chose to do it.

Why? Why would any man knowingly sacrifice His life in such a horrendous way?

Because He loved YOU and wanted you to be freed from your payment of sin.

It wasn’t His sin that nailed Him to the cross and kept Him hanging there; it was ours. He gave His life on the cross so that we would not have to be separated from God because of our sins.

But we, too, have a choice.

The offer of salvation is there. We can be forgiven of our sins. We can live eternally with God and experience all He offers, but we must choose.

Can you hear Him calling to you today? It’s not a loud, audible voice but a soft whisper in your heart. Maybe it’s saying, “Come. Surrender. You’re forgiven. Let me take your burdens. Rest, my child. You are loved. You are wanted. Let me help you. Peace.”

Maybe you just feel an urging inside that won’t go away. You feel convicted about the wrongs you’ve done. You feel a need to be lifted up from what has felt like a bottomless pit. Or you’re so tired from trying to keep your head above water that you’re ready to give up.

And there is Jesus, offering His hand to raise you from the dead and give you new life.

What don’t you want to say to Him? Knowing that He gave His life for you, you surely have something on your mind.

Say it.

Speak it to Him right now, out loud or in the quietness of your heart.

Share it. Share it all. Surrender it to Him.

Confess your sins, turn from them and the pleasures you think they offer, and turn to Jesus. Ask Him to save you, to lead and guide you.

And then walk with Him every day, through prayer, reading and studying His Word in the Bible, getting involved in a Bible-believing church, and seeking His truth.

There will still be days filled with trials and challenges, but you won’t have to dread them anymore. No matter what happens, when you’ve given your life to Jesus, you’ll never be separated from God.