All Alone!
Posted on February 19, 2016 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)
The greatest suffering of Jesus on the cross was when He was forsaken by His God! If He had not experienced that (because of our sin on Him), then we would have to experience it when we face God with our sin. Have you ever been forsaken? It can be summed up in one word – ALONE: being entirely by oneself, apart from others. The following helps to describe it.
A – Abandoned: Leaving a person to the mercy of someone or something else; to give up with the intent of never again claiming one’s rights or interest in. Jesus experienced being alone from the beginning, the world knew Him not; His own received Him not (John 1:10-11). Jesus became irredeemable, not acceptable, He made Him to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus went through abandonment for you.
L – Lonely: Solitary, feeling a lack of close companionship; longing for companionship. Being lonesome heightens the feelings of dreariness, dismalness. To be forlorn and desolate which bring a sharper sense of loneliness are all part of what Jesus felt – for you!
O – Oppressed: Anything between mere objection and intense hostility or warfare. Jesus was at war with Satan in the garden while He prayed. The enemy wanted Him to give up and take back His own will, but He did not….for your sake! Jesus, the man, knew that His God was against the sin which He bore. This brought a sense of oppression to Him.
N – Neglected: Jesus, being alone, had to feel a sense of neglect; a lack of sufficient attention; to be renounced; to be given up. The people, soldiers and a thief on a cross mocked and ridiculed Him. Jesus knew that God could help Him, but wouldn’t! What a terrible feeling! Because of our sin He suffered neglect; because of His love He endured.
E – Excluded: This means keeping out what is already outside. To be deserted suggests that companionship was involved and no longer existed. He bore our own sins in His body (1 Peter 2:24). Therefore God had to exclude Jesus – because God is sinless, and Jesus on the tree was sin – your sin! You will never be excluded by God if you place your sin on Jesus and receive Him as your Savior. Thank Him for being excluded for you.
Whenever you feel alone, remember Jesus was forsaken for you, so you can be accepted.
Written by Jack Noel: Jack Noel served for years as a chaplain at the Colony of Mercy and is a dear friend of the ministry of America’s Keswick.
Today’s devotional was taken from our Real Victory for Real Life Volume II. Real Victory offers 365 Daily Meditations for Victorious Christian Living with daily Bible readings to take you through the Bible in a year! You can purchase Real Victory for Real Life Volume II on Amazon by clicking here
The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 50; Proverbs 19
Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan
Daily Quote: A prayerless church member is a hindrance. He is in the body like a rotting bone or a decayed tooth. Before long, since he does not contribute to the benefit of his brethren, he will become a danger and a sorrow to them. Neglect of private prayer is the locust which devours the strength of the church. ~ Charles H. Spurgeon
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. ~Hebrews 13:18 (NKJV)
Want to get away & have dedicated time to read & learn God’s Word?
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
