Devotionals

"Did God Forget About Me?"

This devotional is based on the message I heard this morning at church.

We've all had a thinking pattern like this before if we're honest:

"God must not be hearing my prayers if I'm not seeing change or getting a sign."

"I feel so left alone and abandoned. Where are you, Lord?"

"God, if you're really there, guide me! Help me! Please, I'm tired and I want to give up."

You're not alone in these thoughts. Feeling forsaken is something that even both King David and Jesus Christ have faced.

In Psalm 22 (NKJV), David is in pure agony. Here's what he says from verses 1 through 8 of this chapter.

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of My groaning?

O My God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent.

But You are holy. Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.

They cried to You and were delivered; They trusted in You and were not ashamed.

But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying

'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue him. Let Him deliver him since he delights in Him.'"

David expresses that he doesn't understand why God isn't listening to him, and why he hasn't been spared from the trial that he's going through. He cries day and night, and can't seem to catch a break.

He tells God, "My ancestors trusted in you and you forgave them. They cried to you and they were delivered. They weren't ashamed of you." This is as if to say, "Why not me, Lord? Why am I not delivered?"

But then, he thinks, "I'm not even a man. Just a worm, hated by everyone around me. A good for nothing little worm. Everyone who sees me hates me, and they say to me, 'If you trust in God so much, why won't He come down and save you?"

David is telling God that he hurts and that he feels forsaken. Guess what happens later?

David's prayer was answered after praising God and letting God handle it in his own time. You can't rush God! His timing and yours are two completely different things!

Later in the chapter, David says in verse 21, "You have answered me," and in verse 22, "I will praise You."

Jesus faced similar circumstances, feeling forsaken by God, too. In the ninth hour during His crucifixion, Jesus cries out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46 (NKJV))

He's bearing the sin of all of the world, having God's wrath forced upon Him as He pays the debt that we ourselves cannot pay. I can only imagine the emotional toll this took on Jesus, having felt the wrath of His Father!

Earlier, though, Jesus accepts this fate. He says in Luke 22:42 (NKJV), "Father if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

He's asking God, "Please, don't make me go through this pain. But it's not my choice. Do as you wish." This, for me, is heartbreaking. Yes, Jesus loves us all and accepted dying for us. And yes, I believe He'd do it again if He had to.

But that didn't stop the pain that He felt. The hurt that He faced in His heart after feeling forsaken by God.

God remembered both David and Jesus, though in different ways. David's prayer was answered, and Jesus gained paradise once again after facing this world.

Do you think God will forget about you, too?

Nope!

Psalm 9:10 (NKJV) says, "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."

God doesn't forsake His children. He didn't forsake David or Jesus, and if you seek Him, He won't forsake you, either.

So on those days where you don't feel like God is listening, remember that God does things in His own timing (He knows better than you do!). You may not get the immediate fix that you crave, and you may not see an answer from God for days and up to years.

But be assured that God will not forsake those who seek him.

In Matthew 6:33 (NKJV), Jesus says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Seek God first in all things, and you have no need to feel forsaken. He hasn't forgotten about you; He remembers. Trust His timing and keep seeking God.

- NB