How can I not praise the great love of God?

Jesus was nailed to the cross from noon until 3 p.m.

Around 3 p.m., He cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"

which means, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

(Matthew 27:45-46).

As I meditate on these words,

I am reminded not only of the physical agony Jesus endured for three hours

on the cross to bear and atone for my (our) sins,

but also of the unimaginable anguish He suffered

when He was forsaken by His beloved Father.

Then, Matthew 12:40 came to my mind:

"Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights,

so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights."

Jesus, the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being

(Hebrews 1:3), who sat on a throne in heaven (Revelation 4:2),

came down to this lowly world, born in the flesh without sin

["Christ, who knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21)],

laid in a manger after birth (Luke 2:15),

and after 33 years, was crucified for three hours.

Having been forsaken by the Father and having died,

He remained "in the depths" (Jonah 2:3),

confined in the earth for three days (Ref: Jonah 2:6).

As I reflect on this,

I am overwhelmed by the truth that because of Him,

I (we) now have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

My heart cannot help but sing:

"How can I keep from singing?”

(Hymn “My Life Flows Rich in Love and Grace”).

“The Love of God is Greater.”