Living the Moment to the Fullest
Our blessed Lord experienced a sinking of heart and a melting of soul. “The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?” (Proverbs 18: 14). A deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials; others are nothing. Our suffering Savior might have cried to His God, “Do not be far from me” (Psalm 22: 11), for more than at any other time, we need God when our hearts melt with heaviness. This morning, believer, come near the cross and humbly adore your King of glory, who was brought far lower, in mental distress and inner anguish, than anyone else. Note His suitability to be a faithful High Priest, who can sympathize with our own weaknesses (Hebrews 4: 15). Those of us who are sad that we no longer sense our Father’s love should especially enter an intimate communion with Jesus. Let us not give in to despair, since the Master has passed through this dark room before us. Our souls may sometimes faint and thirst to the point of anguish, longing to see the light of the Father’s face—at those times, let us calm ourselves with the sweet fact of our great High Priest’s sympathy. Our drops of sorrow are forgotten in the ocean of His griefs—how high our love to Him should rise!
—Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
There are moments when the weight inside feels heavier than anything outside could be—a crushed spirit that Proverbs calls the hardest trial to bear. In those moments, we can draw near to the cross and remember that Jesus Himself walked through the deepest valleys of mental distress and inner anguish. He knows the feeling of a heart that sinks and a soul that aches for God’s presence. As our faithful High Priest, He doesn’t just understand our pain—He has lived it, and He meets us in it.
When we feel abandoned, when the Father’s love feels distant, we can rest in the truth that our Savior has been there before us. He has entered that same dark room, and because He passed through it, He can walk us through it as well. Our griefs may feel overwhelming, but compared to the ocean of His suffering, they are drops—and in that ocean, we find His compassion, His closeness, and His unshakable love. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics