“These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to Heaven, and said, Father the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee” (John 17:1).

One of the amazing things about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is that on one hand a very young child, when properly taught, can understand the gospel. A very young child can understand that he or she is a sinner and that God cannot allow sin to come into His presence. A very young child can understand that the Lord Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment of our sins and can believe that the Lord Jesus also rose again the third day. By placing his or her trust alone in Him, that child can be saved at a fairly young age. On the other hand it is amazing that highly educated, profoundly intelligent theologians can honestly never fully get over nor fully comprehend the wonder and magnificence of the gospel! While truly knowing Him as their Savior, theologians can never fully understand the depths of what took place when the Lord Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come.” From eternity past the Lord Jesus knew that He had an hour. Friends, that hour was an appointment in which He would bear the wrath of his holy Father as the perfect substitutionary atonement for our sins. I am so grateful that He did not remain dead. The grave could not hold Him, and death could not keep Him as He rose victoriously because He faithfully fulfilled that hour. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, or do you still trust in your own good works to somehow satisfy our holy God?

For today: I am so grateful that the Lord Jesus is my Savior. Is He your Savior as well? If so, you can praise Him throughout your day because He was faithful in that hour for you.