“When I look in the scriptures and begin to read, I see where our Lord and Savior was called a man of sorrows. I can’t, for the life of me, understand how Jesus, who was perfect and spotless, was yet hated and rejected by many. The ones He loved denied Him; they turned and walked away from our Lord. I know our carnal minds can’t help but wonder why our Lord had to face and go through so much while He was here on this earth. Why did our Lord have to grieve and face so many obstacles along the path that God our Father placed Him on? Despite all this, He never backed away. No matter who or what came against Him, our Lord kept the faith and stayed on the path that God set before Him. He knew within Himself that He was on a mission from the throne room of the Almighty. God, in His infinite wisdom, had a plan to save mankind, so He sent down from heaven that one perfect and spotless Lamb so that He alone could be our freedom. Amen!

I think God let Jesus go through those things so that, as we look to the Lord for help in our own lives, we know that the Lord understands our rejection. He understands what it is to grieve and cry, to be despised, manipulated, and lied upon. Our Lord knows how we feel because He Himself faced and went through everything we go through. I know that Jesus could have called on God to get Him out of all the mess that was taking place, but He didn’t. He knew He had a purpose and told God, “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). So He fought through it with much prayer and held on through it all because He knew His Father in heaven knew what was best for Him. As the scripture says, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). Amen!

So when life begins to happen in our own lives and in our own little worlds, I pray we all understand that Jesus understands. He knows what we are facing and going through, but with God’s grace and help, we make it through the obstacles and trials of life. We pray just as our Lord prayed and stay the course just as the Lord Jesus stayed on that path and kept going no matter what came. Even He was tempted by the devil; the Bible says that our Lord was led away into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:1-2). So know that we will be tempted, tried by fire, and go through heartaches, grief, disappointments, and woes in our lives. But just know that the Lord is leading you somewhere great. We never face things or go through things that are wasted. It’s all for a reason. God knows what He is doing; we may not understand the reasoning, but we know that God and His ways are perfect. Amen!

So we keep walking and keep going, living our lives daily to please Jesus in everything we do. One day, it will all make sense, but then again, maybe it won’t. Either way, my prayer is that no matter what any of us face or go through, we never let go of the Lord. We hold fast and keep on loving our Father. Scripture says it best: “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). We win, guys. We may not feel like we are winning here on this earth, but I’ve got news for you: this old world isn’t our home; we’re just passing through. Heaven is the goal, and that’s where our true and lasting victory lies. Amen! Let us make it to heaven, every one of us, just as Jesus stayed the course and kept going to Calvary for me and you. The same is true for us; we keep going because heaven is where we’re heading. We look forward to that one great and glorious day when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shall call us home to live for all eternity with Him.

I love the quote that Corrie ten Boom wrote: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.” So let us keep our eyes on Jesus, for He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). It is in His name, Jesus’ name, that I ask and pray. Amen and Amen. Be blessed today, my dear sweet friends, and remember: wherever you go and whatever you do, be a light for our Father. Much love to you all. Mandi