Jesus was earthbound because his Father sent him. Now he was hanging on a cross after having been brutally beaten and abused. What father wouldn’t come to a son or daughter’s rescue in similar circumstances…even kill for them? But not Jesus’ Father. He let him hang there and suffer even more pain, agony, and ridicule. No intervention. No apparent concern.
At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice…“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27: 46) Jesus’ cry was evidence he was experiencing the weight of humanity’s sins, not proof of his Father’s absence.
God has never abandoned me, but there have been occasions when I felt deserted because he seemed silent. When I lost employment and a career and had no skills to do anything else. When a family deteriorated and eventually dissolved. When my annual income was cut in half. When insufficient finances led to repossessions and a bad credit rating. And I asked, God, why have you abandoned me? Didn’t you promise to meet my needs…Well?
How I feel doesn’t necessarily match reality, and feeling God has abandoned me never does. I have his promise that he’ll never leave or forsake me. While obstinate, selfish living and intentional sin can interfere with me hearing God, he’s not the one who has moved.
God’s apparent silence can also be a sign I need a more intimate connection with him. He can place feelings of abandonment in my heart so I’ll seek him, and when I do I’ll find him in fresh and new experiences.
If you feel God has abandoned you, investigate why. He doesn’t want you to feel deserted but rather loved and cuddled.
Prayer: Eternal God, we confess our need and desire to vividly feel Your presence every day.
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I'm stopping by from A Sorta Fairytale's Thankful Thursday link-up.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! It is interesting that I read this, this morning because my husband and I were having a discussion related to this.
I also am stopping by from Thankful Thursday. I'm not sure of the point you're trying to make here, but then again maybe I do. When I think of this I think of the Lord's resurrection and when I think of the Lord I think of the thankfulness that rises from my heart that was once dead until I was reborn again when baptized, and how thankful I am that God loves me, and all his children. Thank you for the reminder, but I haven't forgotten! :) Have a blessed day!
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