March 26 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

In March we read the gospel of John. John wrote his gospel so that his readers would know and believe the claims of Jesus. Those who do have everlasting life here and now.

Bible Reading:

Psalm 22:1–18

Bible Text:

So that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty" (John 19:28).

Devotional:

Golgotha is the heart of the Scriptures. Here all the lines converge. This is the day of God's judgment. And this is the day of atonement.

All who are on the hill fulfill the Scriptures, even if they don't know it. The soldiers sit there, at the foot of the cross, gambling about a garment (Ps. 22: 18). They have pierced Jesus' hands and feet (22: 16). But they will not break the bones of this Passover Lamb (John 19:36, Ex. 12:46). Each and every person and action fills in some detail of the great composition that finishes God's work, our shame, his wrath, our redemption.

Jesus fulfills, or "fills up" the Word very consciously and with every fiber of his being. He obeys "what has been written." He himself embodies the promises. He is the Word.

As he dies on the cross, Jesus lives Psalms 22 and 69. These are songs of despair, tears, and hope. They are the battlefields of God's people. Now Jesus tastes all the bitterness of the cursed life. He longs for the end. But when he craves nourishment and refreshment. he receives, as Psalm 69:21 says, "gall in [his] food" and "vinegar for [his] thirst."

Yet he leaves us with hope: Since he was once crushed by the agony of God's curse, we will not despair, even in the pits of our pain. His love reaches to our lowest level.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.