Jessica Albritton, NextGen Minister LHBC
Matthew 27:45-50
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
In the show This Is Us, when Randall and Beth both begin to worry about a situation, they play a game they like to call “Worst Case Scenario.” In the game both take turns spouting off all their worst fears for the future as it pertains to the particular situation they are facing.
You know the thing about Worst Case Scenario is once you start it can be a little difficult to stop. Your mind starts racing and reeling with all the unknown possibilities and the next thing you know you’re hyperventilating in a corner over something that hasn’t even happened, and possibly never will.
It has always been easy for me to look at the positive in the death of Christ in light of having the whole story played out, but I often have to remind myself that the disciples didn’t have that same privilege. I would imagine the disciples maybe played a similar game of worst case scenario after the death of Jesus. At that time they didn’t know what we know. All they knew was that their leader, the man they gave up everything to follow for 3 years, the one they had looked to as leader, had been killed via the cross. I can only assume they had worries, fears, and doubts about what would come next.
The disciples had a choice in the moment after Jesus died. They could hold fast to their belief in Him or give into their fear and doubts. Their current situation looked bleak and it took a great deal of faith for them to trust in Jesus. It took faith to not allow their fear to overpower their knowledge of who Jesus was and what He had promised to do. Worst case scenario can make us feel alone, abandoned, and unheard. But with a little faith we can look to the positive, the fact that Jesus is here, available and still working in the lives of those who put their trust in Him! Jesus died for a purpose, to give life!
If we’re honest it still takes a great deal of faith today to believe in a God we cannot physically see. God calls us to put our trust in Him. Hebrews 11:1 tells us “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Our faith is displayed in our behavior. I ask myself often if I am living in a way that shows I trust God even when I don’t have the whole picture.
What about you? Are you currently playing worst case scenario in your own life or are you resting in the fact that Jesus has a plan in all of this? Are you allowing feelings of loneliness and anxiety to overpower the truth that Jesus spoke in Matthew 28:20 when He promised to be with us always?
The good news of the gospel is that things may be over our heads but it is all under His feet! We may not have all the answers but we can place our full trust in the one who holds everything together and works all things together for the good of those that love Him!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, help me to always look for the good, the truth, the hope, that you have given! Lord, when my mind begins to race with all the what ifs and worst case scenarios of life help me to lean in to the truth of your gospel. Help me to rest in the knowledge that you hold the future and nothing catches you off guard. In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.