A Thought From the Word

"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. Father, glorify thy name. Then came a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." John 12:27, 28

Jesus had been talking to those around Him about His impending death. As He did so, His soul became troubled with this foreboding thought of suffering and darkness. Friend, Jesus knows what it is to suffer. He knows what it is to have a heavy sense of darkness, loneliness and pain. He knows what it is to have something on the upcoming calendar that is not pleasant. Love Him for this in your dark hour. Trust Him and cry out to Him in your heavy days knowing that He, the God who is also man, can fully empathize with you.

We also see here Jesus' faithfulness in this dark hour. The natural part of Him that did not enjoy suffering and pain would have liked to avoid this hour of suffering. But, He realized that these sufferings were the very reason He came into the world. Jesus didn't come to merely leave a good moral example or to show people how to get along with each other (although He did leave the perfect example which we should follow). His mission was one of suffering, sufferings that were meritorious on behalf of others. The Father had ordained His death on the cross, as the perfect sacrifice that removed the guilt of all those the Father loved. Simply put, if Jesus had not agreed to this hour of suffering, there would be no hope of forgiveness, justification and eternal life for you and me.