November 1, 2022 - John 19:10-11a

““Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.”” John 19:10-11a NLT

Jesus, your statement to Pilate is such a powerful one. Pilate had no power to send you to be crucified unless God allowed it. There is no power greater than yours, God. We can rest assured of that. Now, we look at this story and know the ending. Jesus, we know why the Father allowed you to be crucified. In doing so, you paid the price of our sin and bought our freedom. You make a way for us to be restored into perfect relationship with you again. Jesus, I am heartbroken at the thought that you had to die for me, but I am eternally grateful for it. You paid a high price, but the good that came out of it was more than we will ever understand here on earth.

I think about the hard times that I have had in my life that I can look back on now and see the positive that came out of them. I know that I will never fully see the big picture of why they happened while I am here on earth. We know that you don’t cause bad things to happen to us. We live in a fallen world where sin abounds and affects life around us in a negative way. It is often asked, “Why do you allow bad things to happen to your children when like Jesus states in verse 11, you have the power to stop it?” Father, I truly believe that there is always a reason why you sometimes don’t stop bad things from happening to us. Just like you allowed Jesus to be crucified for the greater good, the things you allow in our lives will serve a greater purpose. Lord, we declare that regardless of what we face in our life, we will cling to you and trust that you do know best. We know that you will carry us through.

In Jesus name, amen.