Lead Me to the Cross

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, and am not silent."

and

"From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;

they who seek the LORD will praise him—

may your hearts live forever!"

Psalm 22: 1-2 & 25-26

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34:18

David and his psalms can be so refreshingly honest! In them, I can vividly see the ups and downs of a walk of faith, the walk of a man declared to be after God's own heart. He has moments when God seems so near, and when he is full of praise for the intimacy of his Lord and King. And he also has times when he cries out from a heart that feels the pain of separation from God, times when God seems so very far away. Yet always, he comes back to praising the Lord, and declaring how marvelous and good he is. What's David's secret? How does he remain so full of faith when God seems distant? I think the key is that David truly knows God, and knows His character. He has confidence in who God is, even when he is unsure where God is, or what He is doing. The only way that I too can come to this point of confidence in God is by knowing just who He is. . . and the only way that comes about is by digging into His word.

"With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Mark 15:37-38

Sometimes, as in this story, the circumstances around us shout out God's identity and His sovereignty, loud and clear. This centurion experienced Christ's power in a real way, and standing there at the foot of the cross, He realized who Jesus was. It's an incredible story. However, in my daily life, my circumstances don't always shout God's name - they don't always make me think warm, fuzzy thoughts about Him, or tremble in fear and awe over His power. But regardless, I can always come back to the cross. I can stand still and remember what happened there, for me. Then I can say, with confidence, that this man was the Son of God.

Savior I come

Quiet my soul remember

Redemption's hill

Where Your blood was spilled

For my ransom

Everything I once held dear

I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I

Tempted and trialed

You are

The word became flesh

Bore my sin and death

Now you're risen

To your heart

To your heart

Lead me to your heart

Lead me to your heart

-Lead Me to the Cross