Have You Ever Felt Forgotten By God?

All of us, if we are honest, have gone through a season where we wondered if God had forgotten all about us.  

(Maybe you are in that season right now!)  

All kinds of things can cause this type of thought pattern…

• The doctor calls with the news our latest report does not look good. 
• The friends we thought would always be there turn their backs on us.  
• A really close family member or friend passes away unexpectedly.  

There are a host of other circumstances/conditions that can cause us to doubt God’s love or presence.  

Often times when we express our fight to have faith in seasons like this we are rebuked, scorned and made to feel like we are somehow a horrible Christian for allowing doubt to begin to dominate our thinking.  

I know exactly what it’s like to WANT to believe - but to not be sure IF I can believe.  

David was called “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).  Often times we will hear sermons on the faith of David as he fought Goliath, or the perseverance of David as led Israel.  

However, there are some other things about David that do not seem to get a lot of attention - that I think those of us who wrestle with faith can identify with.  

In Psalm 10:1 David asks a question that would most likely get him kicked out of certain Christian circles when he says, "Why, Lord, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"

David, a man after God’s own heart, wrestled with having faith in times of trouble…and if he had bouts with doubt then why in the world would we allow ourselves to be shamed for having the same struggle?  

Knowing all of the right answers doesn’t always solve the problem.  

And oftentimes well meaning (but completely clueless) Christian friends can lob spiritual grenades (with Bible verses on them) at us in an attempt to make it all better.  

However, when we are facing hopeless, demoralizing circumstances a Bible verse from a bumper sticker very rarely does the trick.  

So how can we best deal with wanting to believe—but struggling to have faith?  

For me in this current season the one thing the Lord keeps bringing me back to is...

His Faithfulness In My Past

This morning in my time with the Lord i began crying (which isn’t normal) as I thought about how good He has been to me in my past, the things He has allowed me to experience, the places He has allowed me to see, the accomplishments He has allowed me to participate in.  

I’m 45 years old - and while my life has not been easy I can say without a doubt that the Lord has been good to me.  

Elevation Worship has a song entitled, “Do It Again” (which I HIGHLY recommend) - and it has been on repeat for me every single day for the past several weeks.  The most powerful part of the song (for me) is, 

“I’ve seen you move, You move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see you do it again.
You made a way, when there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see you do it again.”  

This song is a reminder that the pressure of my current circumstances is a call to persevere, even through a battle with unbelief, knowing that…IF GOD DID IT THEN HE WILL DO IT AGAIN!  (I don’t know when…I don’t know how…I just know HE IS ABLE, and I must hold on to that hope even when despair seems to be crushing my soul!)  

No one can measure the pressure/pain you are currently dealing with.  

No one can dismiss your circumstances as “not being a big deal!”  

However, the one thing I believe will really help you if this is what you are battling with is to pause for a few minutes and reflect on an event or two in your past where what looked “impossible” became a “miracle.”  

One of the things I love about God is He isn’t a “One Hit Wonder,” He is faithful.  And, despite feelings of pain, abandonment and uncertainty, He will prove, in time, to be faithful.  

Hold on my friend—the best is yet to come!