My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? Psalm 22:1 NIV
Silence was his way of forsaking his father—and it wasn’t golden.
Sam had two children. His oldest, he saw regularly. The youngest, more infrequently. He and his family lived one hour away, which made seeing them more inconvenient.
When Sam’s wife received a worrisome diagnosis from the doctor, Sam quite naturally told his daughter and put the news on Facebook so friends and family members could pray. But he forgot to text his son. Through a mutual friend, his son found out before Sam remembered to text him the next day.
Now Sam heard only silence from his son. Although he apologized, it wasn’t enough for his son. His anger and hurt remained. Time will tell how long the silence will continue, but in the meantime, Sam feels forsaken by one he loves—his own flesh and blood.
Some days, the silence deafens Sam, and he sends another text or tries to call. But the message never shows read and the calls go unanswered.
Though the trial is unknown, experiencing it motivated David to write the psalm. The words also rang prophetically. Jesus would utter them years later as He hung on the cross. Old Testament Joseph also knew a little about being forsaken. His brothers sold him, Potiphar enslaved him, Potiphar’s wife accused him of rape, and the butler who was jailed with him forgot him. Years passed before his release and promotion.
While others may forsake me in life, God is never one of those people. He hadn’t forsaken David either; it merely felt that way. I’ve experienced the feeling myself. When there wasn’t enough money to pay the monthly bills—and I was doing all I could to earn money. When friends or family members didn’t call to check on me when I was going through a tough time. When a loved one walked away—and didn’t return.
Feeling forsaken by God is just that—a feeling. Feelings are fleeting and fickle. They aren’t good foundations to make important decisions on. If I feel God has forsaken me, I am experiencing just that—a feeling. Seeing life from a flawed perspective.
God promises never to leave or forsake me. Feelings can fool me, but the truth sets me free from worry, anxiety, foolishness, depression, and discouragement.
When you feel forsaken by God, remember He never leaves those who belong to Him.
Tweetable: Does it feel as if God has forsaken you?
Prayer: Father, thank You for never leaving us and for always remaining close by our sides.
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