Because Jesus was truly deserted, our desertions are only temporary trials — Timothy Keller

"You see, everybody but God will let you down. God will never let you down. God will never drop you. God’s arms will never fail you, but believe it or not, do you know why? Because there was one person who God’s arms failed. Jesus Christ did not sin, but he was truly deserted. We just feel deserted. He was truly deserted.

Because he was truly deserted, you will never be. That’s the reason why the psalmist can say, “… I will yet praise him …” You see, do you right now say, “Lord Jesus, I thirst”? Can you say this? Can you say, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”? The reason you know someday you will praise him, someday you will drink, you will not starve, you will not die of thirst, is because when Jesus Christ said, “I thirst,” all he got was vinegar.

If you say to the Lord, “I thirst,” I can tell you this: you won’t get vinegar. You won’t get a sop. Because Jesus was truly deserted, our desertions are only temporary trials. Are you thirsty tonight? Are you hungry tonight? We’re about to take the bread and the cup. It represents the fact that anybody who comes tonight … You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be great. You don’t have to have it all together. You might feel as far away from God as this psalmist. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come. Say, “I thirst.” You won’t get vinegar. Let’s pray."

— Timothy Keller