When We Feel Abandoned...

 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are times in life when God seems absent. There are times in life when it seems that he’s forgotten us. There are times when it seems that he does not hear as we cry out to him.

Although we’ve come before him in prayer, it seems to us that he is not listening. Although we’ve brought our needs before him, it seems that he will not act. And although we’ve come to him in desperation, it seems that he does not care.

These were the feelings of David, as expressed in the words above. He felt utterly forsaken by God. It didn’t seem that God was acting to save him in his distress. And, although he came continually before the Lord, he found no relief.

Times like this lead us to question. Circumstances such as these lead us to doubt. They lead us to do so as we feel abandoned.

We begin to think that, perhaps, God doesn’t exist. We begin to think that, if he does exist, he certainly isn’t good. And it seems to us that he just doesn’t care.

Yet, in the midst of his distress, David’s faith persisted. He ends this passage, declaring that God is holy. He ends it declaring that God is enthroned on the praises of Israel.

If we read on, we see the reason for this hope. He points out that their fathers trusted in the Lord, and that he’d delivered them. David could, then, trust in the Lord in his present circumstances knowing that he had been faithful and that he had, in fact, provided his salvation.

This is true of us as well. We have every reason to remain firm in our faith. We have every reason to do so even when it seems pointless. We have every reason to do so even when it seems useless.

We have every reason as we consider Jesus. He, we recall, repeated these words as he hung on the cross. And not only did he feel forsaken. He was forsaken.

Although he knew no sin, Scripture tells us, he became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He bore our sin in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). And by his wounds, we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5).

In this way, we know that we have not been forsaken. We can trust, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that we have not been abandoned. Even in times of hardship and distress, we have full assurance that God hears us and that he’ll provide for our need.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that our lives in this world will be easy. Nor does it mean that our problems will fade away. We know, however, that as the penalty of our sin has been paid, its consequences will one day be a thing of the past.