Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27.46).

This morning, this verse was blaring in my head. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" What is this? Why is this verse in my head? I didn't feel forsaken. I didn't feel upset or let down by God. So why was this verse being repeated over and over in my head. I tried to ignore it and assure the Lord that I was not feeling betrayed by Him. I finally got up out of bed to get ready for work. I suddenly began thinking about my mother's friend Kim and her sick mother. Yesterday, my mom told me that Kim's mother has many illnesses and has been in the hospital for a while. She recently was released but got a call yesterday to come into the hospital to receive her test results. When I heard that, I thought "that can't be good" but I assured my mother that God is in control. I began thinking about Kim and how she was handling this. My mother told me that Kim had been taking on a lot of the responsibility for taking care of her mom and how it was weighing down on her. Then, it suddenly came to me: was Kim feeling forsaken by God? And if her mother did not heal from her sickness, will she too cry out Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? Immediately, I began to pray.

Often times, when things go wrong, we as humans react first by placing blame. When God questioned Adam about eating the forbidden fruit in the garden, he replied, "Then the man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate'" (Genesis 3.12). Adam blames God for giving him Eve and then blames Eve for eating the fruit. The story continues on with Eve blaming the devil, "And the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate'” (Genesis 3.13). With our oldest ancestors using the blame game, it's not wonder we do it today. Often times, we blame God for the things that go wrong in our lives. Whether it's a family member becoming sick, not being selected for a particular job or even missing out on an event due to inclement weather. We always tend to ask God "why did You let this happen too me?"

But God's plan for our lives is perfect! We will not always understand why God is allowing certain things to happen the way they do. But they are always in our best interest. A woman had a conversation with God. She was complaining about the same things we typically complain about. But listen carefully to the Lord's response:

Me (upset) : God, can I ask you something?
GOD: Sure.
Me: Promise you won't get mad?
GOD: I promise.
Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?
GOD: What do you mean?
Me: Well I woke up late,
GOD: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start,
GOD: Okay....
Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait
GOD: Hmmmm..
Me: On the way home, my phone went de...ad, just as I picked up a call
GOD: All right
Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went right today! Why did you do that? 
GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.
Me (humbled): Oh...
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road
Me (ashamed): ............
GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work
Me (embarrassed): Oh.....
GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered
Me (softly): I see God
GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm sorry God.
GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good and the bad
Me: I WILL trust you God
GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.
GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children.

This beautiful story illustrates the love God has for us and how His plan is always the best for our lives. No one knows the outcome in our daily lives. But we have to trust that we are guided by the Holy Spirit of God. And when loved ones get sick, sometime Jesus sends healing. Other times, He calls our loved ones home. No matter the outcome, what happens is what's best. To my mother's friend Kim, if you are hurting, it's ok. If you are frustrated, it is expected. But if you are placing blame on the Lord and asking why He has forsaken you, remember to trust in His plan and His will. And let this verse comfort your heart: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29.11).

Blessings