麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Krish Kandiah.

Good morning. The hardest time in my life was about thirteen years ago. I had a degree in Medicinal Chemistry but I couldn鈥檛 stop the cancer that was stealing my mother鈥檚 life. I had a PhD in theology but I couldn鈥檛 work out what God was trying to teach me in the middle of a difficult work situation. I had years of experience of being a pastor, but all my tried and trusted methods of helping people hold on to faith in difficult circumstances seemed pathetic. I found it very difficult even to think about, let alone trust God.

I meet many people in these sorts of rock bottom places. There seems to be no hope. We begin to believe that God has abandoned us.

Jesus at his rock bottom place on the cross says two things that on the face of it seem contradictory:

Firstly he cries out:
鈥淢y God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 鈥�

Then he declares
鈥淔ather into your hands I commit my spirit.鈥�

Jesus knew what it was like to feel abandoned by God. And yet he determines to trust God nevertheless. It is a reassuring juxtaposition for all of us facing difficult times.

It reminds me of a poem that was discovered on the wall of a cellar in a world war 2 concentration camp:

鈥淚 believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in God,
even when he is silent.

Lord Jesus
Help us to declare our trust in you
Even when you seem hard to find
Especially when you seem hard to find
Amen

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