Famous Last Words – Navigating the Silence
In the powerful moment on the cross, as Jesus hung in excruciating agony, He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words echo through the centuries, not only as a statement of His deep pain but as a model for our own relationship with God in times of suffering. This moment of anguish and the silence that followed have much to teach us about the nature of God, the reality of human suffering, and the silent seasons of faith we all go through.
The Agony of Abandonment
The Gospel of Matthew records that from noon until 3 p.m., darkness filled the land—a supernatural, unnatural darkness that enveloped the world. And then, Jesus—fully God and fully man—cried out in a loud voice, not merely speaking, but shrieking in pain, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This cry is not just an expression of physical pain; it is a moment of profound spiritual agony.
When we examine the original meaning of the text, we learn that Jesus did not simply say these words. He screamed them. Think of the intense, guttural cry of a child who has just suffered a painful injury—a scream that seems to come from the deepest part of their being. That is what Jesus did on the cross. In that moment, He was not only expressing the weight of His physical suffering but also the immense emotional and spiritual isolation He was experiencing.
For many of us, this is a question we will ask in our own walk with God. “Why have you forsaken me?” How many times have we felt abandoned by God in the midst of our own pain, loneliness, or confusion? It’s a natural question when we are struggling and in agony. In that moment, Jesus experienced abandonment from God, so that we would never have to.
The Fracture of the Trinity
Jesus, the Son of God, was in perfect communion with the Father. But on the cross, there was a momentary fracture in that union. As Jesus took on the sins of the world—your sins and mine—He bore the full weight of God’s wrath against sin. In that moment, Jesus became the sin offering, and the Father turned His face away, allowing Jesus to experience the full depth of separation that sin brings.
This moment was not divine child abuse, as some critics might claim. It was God Himself, in the person of Jesus, experiencing the punishment we deserved in order to reconcile us to Him. Jesus was forsaken so that we would never have to be. He became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. This moment was a cosmic transaction that changed the course of history and offered us a way to be reunited with the Father through the sacrifice of the Son.
The Silence That Followed
What’s striking about this moment is not just the agony of Jesus’ cry, but the response—or rather, the lack of response—from God. After Jesus cries out, there is utter silence. No voice from heaven declares, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” as at His baptism. No angels come to strengthen Him as they did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead, Jesus’ cry is met with silence.
How often do we feel like this in our own lives? We cry out to God in our pain and are met with silence. We may wonder, “Does God hear me? Has He abandoned me too?” It’s a painful and confusing place to be. But what we see in Jesus’ cry is a model for how we can approach God in our suffering—even in His silence. The feeling of abandonment is real, but it doesn’t mean that God has truly abandoned us.
In fact, Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 when He cried out. This psalm was written by David in a moment of great distress, where he felt abandoned by God. Yet, David was not truly abandoned. Jesus, on the other hand, was. Jesus not only fulfilled Psalm 22 by quoting it but also experienced its deepest meaning. David felt abandoned, but Jesus was abandoned—for a moment. And that moment of separation was for our sake.
Embracing the Silence in Our Own Dry Seasons
The silence Jesus experienced on the cross mirrors what many of us feel in the dry seasons of our faith. These seasons are a normal part of the Christian journey—seasons where God feels distant, where prayer feels empty, and worship doesn’t stir our hearts the way it once did. We may wonder why God feels so silent. Yet, even in these moments of dryness, God is doing something transformative in our lives.
Dry seasons are part of a larger spiritual journey. In the book The Critical Journey, the author describes how faith is not always an upward trajectory. We don’t just keep growing without ever experiencing dips. Instead, our spiritual lives often go through cycles, with times of intense growth and times of apparent spiritual “dryness” or “walls.” These seasons are invitations from God to go deeper. They test our faith, not based on our feelings, but on the substance of our trust in God, who is still present even when we don’t feel His presence.
Saint John of the Cross, a 16th-century monk, described this season as the “dark night of the soul.” It’s in these moments of darkness that God is purging us, refining us, and removing reliance on external comforts or emotional highs for our sense of faith. Just like a boil that rises to the surface when heated, our insecurities, fears, and doubts come to the surface in these seasons. And God, in His mercy, skims them off, even if it feels painful.
What To Do in the Dry Seasons
If you find yourself in a dry season, don’t despair. Even though it may feel like God has turned away, know that He has not abandoned you. Jesus, in His agony, modeled for us what to do in the silence. He cried out to God. He expressed His pain fully and honestly.
During these seasons, I encourage you to:
- Stay the Course – Even when you don’t feel God’s presence, keep moving towards Him. Your faith is not dependent on your feelings but on the truth of who God is. Keep pressing into Him through prayer, worship, and reading Scripture.
- Cry Out to God – Just like Jesus did, pour out your pain before God. He can handle your honest emotions, and He invites you to bring your sorrow and confusion to Him. Even when you feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling, God hears you.
- Let the Psalms Guide You – The Psalms are full of cries of anguish and despair, but they also point to God’s faithfulness and deliverance. Let the Psalms give you the language to express your pain and remind you of God’s presence even when it’s hard to feel it.
- Walk With Others – Don’t go through the dark seasons alone. Find trusted friends, mentors, or a small group who can walk with you through the valley. Their support and prayers can help you endure when you feel weak.
Conclusion: From Darkness to Light
If you’re going through a dry season or dark night of the soul, remember that these seasons are temporary. Just as winter eventually gives way to spring, the darkness will end, and God will bring new life from the depths of your pain. Even in your darkest moments, God is still with you, refining you, and leading you toward deeper intimacy with Him.
And one day, when the darkness fades, you’ll see that this season, though painful, was a part of the beautiful transformation God was working in you all along. Stay the course. Keep following Him, even when the way is unclear. He is faithful, and His silence is not absence—He is present, even when we cannot perceive Him.
Let us continue to trust in the goodness of God, especially when we cannot see the way ahead.