The best place to go is always beneath the cross to be under the shower of God’s mercy.
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SHAUNA: Welcome to Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Get ready to be blessed as Joni sings this special hymn about the cross of Jesus.
(Joni sings:)
Beneath the cross of Jesus,
I gladly take my stand
The shadow of a mighty rock,
within a weary land.
A home within the wilderness,
a rest along the way
From the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day.
JONI: You know, there are so many hymns, so many praise and worship songs about the cross. But this one is so special, because it’s where I want to be. Oh Jesus, just keep me near your cross. May I always be found beneath the cross of Jesus. A place of comfort, consolation; it’s a safe place, and it is the only place where we can find deliverance and healing. All because of what happened on the cross.
You know, right now, Ken and I are reading through the Bible this year and not long ago we were in the book of Deuteronomy. Just the other day we were in Deuteronomy 21, and reading right along, we stopped at verse 23 because it says there, “… anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” Ken and I paused to let it sink in. Because Jesus was hung on a tree – he was impaled, crucified on a wooden cross – a tree, as it were. So, we can say that Jesus was cursed on Calvary’s tree. And that almost leaves you breathless. Jesus, the apple of God’s eye, turned brown with the rot of our sin. The foul stench of our sin permeated Him, leaving Him nothing but a wretched object of God’s wrath. That’s what it means to be cursed: to be totally cut off, abandoned, forsaken.
Oh, my goodness, how could I ever cleave to the sins that nailed Jesus to a cross like that? How could I ever allow sin to charm me and deceive me, when it is the very thing that drove the spikes into my Savior’s hands and feet? Oh, my goodness! God the Father poured out all His white-hot wrath against me, and He poured it out on His son: it meant that Jesus was the most God-forsaken man who ever lived. But there was a cause behind the curse. It was all so that my slate might be wiped clean. It was all so that I might be rescued from God’s wrath. God the Father has no more anger left for me, no wrath, only love, forgiveness and mercy. The Father abandoned Jesus, so that, in turn, Jesus might say to me, I will never abandon you, I’ll never leave you; I will never forsake you.
And that is such amazing love. It’s the kind of love you can’t refuse or ignore. It demands the best of us; it requires all of us. The great love scene in the world happened when Jesus bled on the cross. It was God saying, “Look, look see, this is how much I love you!” And what is amazing is that He played out this love scene while we snubbed Him in cool indifference. Sometimes after I’ve snapped at a friend or chipped in with my two cents of gossip, I will catch myself and think, “Oh God, these are the very things that nailed Jesus to the cross. I’m so sorry!” And it’s why I stay beneath the cross of Jesus. It’s the best place to get under the shower of God’s mercy. Good news for me today, and good news for you. The curse has been lifted! So, stay near, stay beneath the cross.
© Joni and Friends