Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)

Although God never actually deserts us (he is omnipresent, after all), he does allow us, like Jesus, to experience a sense of his absence — and sometimes just at the times, like Jesus, when we seem to need him most!

If we assume that everything God does is motivated by love, why do you suppose he did this to Jesus? Why would he do it to us? Does Philippians 3:10-11 offer insight for you?

–Mark Galli
This is part of Mark Galli’s guided journal, “Discovering the Untamable God,” a 12-week journey through the Gospel of Mark. Twice a week, you’ll receive a new journaling prompt encouraging you encounter the wild, untamable Jesus of the Gospel of Mark and let his radical sayings and actions transform your life. Use these prompts in your own journal or in group discussion. If you’re joining this journal mid-way through, you can start journaling at any time, and stay subscribed at the end, when the journal will restart and you can receive the prompts that you missed.