Sunday Selah: Not Forsaken
On many LORD’s Day mornings, as we remember the Savior’s sacrifice, lingering in the harsh reality of sin’s price, this chorus slows in rich tones that deeply touch my heart:
Alone, alone,
He bore it all alone.
He gave Himself to save His own.
He suffered, bled, and died.
Alone, alone.
(Ben H. Price, 1914)
. . .
Forsaken.
For me.
Alone to bear the wrath.
Alone to carry the weight.
Separated from GOD.
In utter darkness.
Alone.
For me.
Forsaken.
Because of Him,
I will never know
That darkness.
That depth of sorrow.
That separation from GOD.
I am welcomed near.
Because of Him.
. . .
Behold, a spotless Victim dies,
my surety on the tree;
the Lamb of GOD, the Sacrifice,
He gave Himself for me.
Whatever curse was mine He bore;
the wormwood and the gall,
there, in that lone mysterious hour,
my cup, He drained it all.
LORD JESUS, Thou and none beside,
its bitterness could know,
nor other tell Thy joy’s full tide
that from that cup shall flow.
Thine is the joy, but yet ‘tis mine.
‘Tis ours as one with Thee;
my joy flows from that grief of Thine;
Thy death brings life to me!
And while the ages roll along,
this shall my glory be;
and this the new and endless song,
Thy love to us – to me!
(author unknown)
. . .
My GOD, My GOD, why have you forsaken Me?
You who have been far away have been brought near through the blood of CHRIST.
(Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; Ephesians 2:13)
Because of JESUS, my Savior, FORSAKEN is a dark reality I will never know. Instead, He continually pursues my heart, my life He paid to redeem, to draw me near, still nearer to His wounded side. There is none other so precious as He, the Lover of my soul. May every part of my being respond in humble adoration and worship this morning!
You shall no longer be called “Forsaken”… but you shall be called Hephzibah [My Delight in Her]… for the LORD delights in you. – – I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy. (Isaiah 62:4-5; Hosea 2:19)
I am so deeply touched that my salvation is not a one-time transaction. Not stamped “paid” and shuffled down the line to attend to the next needy soul. No. Not in a million years. The Lover of my soul gave everything to redeem me, to secure my home in glory, to claim me as His own. Yes. But so much more.
He faithfully pursues my heart, longing to build and deepen an eternal relationship with me. He is intimately invested in my journey. His promises are honorable and faithful—the beauties of His perfection in righteousness and justice, loving kindness and mercy. No one has ever cared for me more. No one could ever protect or provide for me more. His is never an act of obligation, but one of purposeful, chosen, self-sacrificing delight. This is true devotion! May I truly grasp how treasured I am… now and always
