Noon

When the Light Went Out

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said,
“Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit:”
and having said thus, He gave up the ghost.                        Luke 23:44-46

This event of the darkness happened around noon. Some commentators say that this was and solar eclipse. I tend to disagree, but cannot prove or disprove either way. I think the darkness was world wide; not just a local event, thus it would be a supernatural event. The Light of the world had just became sin for us (John 9:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He was taking the wrath of God upon Himself, for the sins of the world.

When the veil of the temple was torn in two, and right  down the middle from the top to the bottom God was showing that the way into the holiest of all places; the very throne of God was open for all who would believe coming to Him through the death of His Son on the cross, His burial, and resurrection.

Jesus in commending His spirit to the Father is not sending the Holy Spirit (though the spirit of Jesus Christ is holy), but His own human spirit. In His living spirit throughout His life as a Man He has been faithful to do His Father’s will, being sinless, spotless, without blot or blemish; holy unto the Holy One. In His spirit He has gone all the way to the sacrifice of Himself for sin, in obedience to His Father. Now, as He is near to death of the body, He sends His eternal spirit back to the Father who gives spirit to all of Adam’s race.

When we realize our lostness, our condemnation, the guilt of our sins and realize that we need a Savior, and only Jesus Christ can save us; we can call out to Him in faith, believing Him, asking forgiveness, and He hears, He saves and gives us eternal life.

A Time To Pray

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

Scripture tells us that Daniel prayed three times a day, even after the king had written an edict of death to anyone who was caught praying to anyone but the king (Daniel 6).  Paul the apostle tells Christians to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  The Psalmist sang,

“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.”  Psalm 55:17

For the soul who was under the dictates of the law, they had morning and evening sacrifices, and that was a good time to pray.  Daniel seems to have had a special one; so too the Psalmist.  They loved to speak with the LORD; and Daniel loved to do so even if it meant certain death.  Do we pray as we ought?  I ask that question knowing that is one of my weakest areas.  I love to hear God speak, and He does through His word; however, He loves for His children to speak with Him.

The following is Spurgeon’s comments of verse 17 –

“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray.” Often, but none too often. Seasons of great need call for frequent seasons of devotion. The three periods chosen are most fitting; to begin, continue, and end the day with God is supreme wisdom. Where time has naturally set up a boundary, there let us set up an altar-stone. The Psalmist means that he will always pray; he will run a line of prayer right along the day and track the sun with his petitions. Day and night he saw his enemies busy (Psa 55:10), and therefore he would meet their activity by continuous prayer. “And cry aloud.” He would give a tongue to his complaint; he would be very earnest in his pleas with heaven. Some cry aloud who never say a word. It is the bell of the heart that rings loudest in heaven. Some read it, “I will muse and murmur;” deep heart-thoughts should be attended with inarticulate but vehement utterances of grief. Blessed be God, moaning is translatable in heaven. A father’s heart reads a child’s heart. “And he shall hear my voice.” He is confident that he will prevail; he makes no question that he would be heard, he speaks as if already he were answered. When our window is opened towards heaven, the windows of heaven are open to us. Have but a pleading heart and God will have a plenteous hand.  From the TREASURY OF DAVID

With the spiritual condition of the churches of the United States and Christianity Christians need to humble themselves before God and get back to our dependence upon God our Savior, Redeemer, Friend and Deliverer.  Let’s commit ourselves to more time with God.  God will hear our voices and cries when we are humble before Him, and repentant of our sins.

-Tim A. Blankenship