Even In His Darkest Hour

"When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners."

Isaiah 53:11-12

Even In His Darkest Hour

I can almost hear the silence
That seemed to penetrate the night
Like the deadly calm before a storm
The long dark before the light.

I can somehow grasp a picture
Of You bowed in desperate prayer
Alone and unsupported
By the men who’d followed there.

You must have seen their torches
Blazing as they came
You knew Your time was here at last
You chose now to remain.

In the Garden of Gethsemane
When guards came to take you away
A follower struck out angrily
As they tried to hold them at bay.

But You reached out with compassion
Despite their evil intent
And performed a miraculous healing
For a man by Your enemies sent!

Willingly You gave up your rights
Handing Yourself over to a sinful crowd
Without speaking a word against them
As their own curses rang out loud.

The thought of their mocking haunts me
When I read about all that they did
It was a death sentence we had earned
But You gave Yourself up instead.

As You struggled through the streets of Jerusalem,
Without even raising a cry
You must have nearly been blinded by pain But You looked to the grievers nearby.

In Your moment of agony,
humiliation and pain
You told them, “Don’t weep for me!”
Never thinking one moment of Yourself
Your heart breaking to set them free!

Unspeakable torture must have filled You
As they nailed down Your precious hands
But You looked at them
with love in Your heart
As darkness covered the lands.

As they came to mock even at the cross
Speaking blasphemous words against You
Not a single word did You speak in return
Except: “Forgive them – they know not what they do!”

As You hung upon that cursed tree
And You struggled just to breathe
Two thieves were also at Your side
Longing for reprieve.

One called out for mercy
And even in Your weakened state
You ministered unto the man
Offering grace before it was too late.

You saw your own friends
who were overcome
And lovingly spoke to make sure
That after You had gone from the Earth
Your own would be provided for.

As the Day was turned to night
And You took up all of our sin
Your greatest pain was now realized
You were coming near to the end.

In agony You cried to God
From who You’d never been apart
Suddenly cut off by sin
How it must have broken Your heart!

Nevertheless Your spirit hung on
No matter what You had to endure,
The Spotless, Perfect, Lamb of God-
For us became lowly and poor.

I wish I could have heard the words
You spoke in confident victory
You said that it was finished –
You’d done it for even me!

With that You gave Your life away
And an earthquake shook the land
As the Righteous Son of God passed ‘way
You knew Sin would no longer stand.

And Deep inside of the Holiest Place
Where the Ark of God was found
The veil that long had blocked the Way
Was torn down to the ground!

Written By Sarah Ochsenbein
April 4, 2004

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 Corinthians 5:21