Our Foundation of Freedom

When Jesus cried out from the cross asking why God had forsaken him, the word he used to describe what had happened has particular significance. While Jesus was forsaken on the cross, after Jesus’ resurrection Peter declared quoting David from the Psalm 16:8-11 that the Messiah would not be abandoned (forsaken) to Sheol. Here Peter quoted David using the same word. He explained that David’s words could not have referred to David himself, because David had died and they all knew where his tomb was. Rather, David, as a prophet, spoke of what would take place to one of his descendants, the Messiah. In other words, even though Jesus was forsaken on the cross, he would not be forsaken to death; he would rise from the dead. Later, in the New Testament we are promised in Hebrews 13:5, that we will never be forsaken, therefore we should never live in fear of what man could do. What Jesus experienced on the cross, is something that we will never experience.

Jesus’ death and victory over death gives us the foundation to live lives of freedom without fear of what may or may not happen. Anytime that we experience fear, we should examine what is provoking our fear and address the lie that we have believed that is feeding our fear, so that we may enjoy the peace that Jesus promised us. That peace is not like what the world offers, which comes and goes depending upon our external circumstances, but a peace that is forever with us and cannot be taken away from us. Part of our journey with Jesus is discovering those areas in our life in which we are afraid, then bringing the corresponding lie to light after which we can enjoy the freedom we receive from dealing with the lie and living in truth.