His second prayer, the fourth “word” from the cross is “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). We often call this the cry of dereliction. Remember, however, that Jesus’ limited amount of breathing constricted His ability to vocalize from the cross. His words are the first words from Psalm 22—a psalm that ends in triumph. As His death approached, Jesus lets us know He is praying Scripture. Yes, at the moment, it appears God has abandoned Him, but not for long: “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. … All the ends of the world will remember and turn to the Lord” (Ps. 22:24, 27). We must never give in to the idea that God has abandoned us. There are moments when we feel utter darkness about us, but our end is sure. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
The final word from the cross is His prayer, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46). This is the first prayer every Jewish child learns, much like we teach our children: “Now I lay me down to sleep … .” The words are found in Psalm 31:5, except Jesus added one word to the prayer that makes all the difference: Father. In life and in death, we can trust the Father and commit all that we are to Him.
10. Other occasions. Jesus not only prayed at the key moments of His ministry, there were other times when He prayed. He prayed while it was still dark (Mark 1:35), after an exhausting schedule culminating in the feeding of the 5,000, into the evening (Matt. 14:23), and continuing all night in prayer (Luke 6:12). His frequent withdrawals to prayer tell us that He desired uninterrupted moments with the Father.
He took children in His arms and prayed for them (Matt. 19:13), prayed that the disciples receive the Spirit (John 14:16), and for the faith of His lead disciple to not fail (Luke 22:31-32).
The New Testament records three times when tears fall on Jesus’ cheeks. The first such occasion is at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35). After 3 years of ministry, Jesus had not grown calloused or clinical about human suffering. Jesus is moved with compassion by our need.
The second time we see Him praying with tears is when “When He came near, He beheld the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41).
Finally, the writer of Hebrews says, “In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. He was heard because of His godly fear” (5:7). He wept fervently for one person, for one city, and for His own submission to the Father’s will.
