Why Now, God?

Feelings of being abandoned and forsaken are, perhaps, among the most painful feelings of life. In desperation, we cry for someone or anyone to come to our rescue. Tragedy strikes, hopes are dashed, one whom we deeply loved and have spent our lives with is suddenly taken from us. And there we are: alone and abandoned. Our cries go unheard – and it seems as though the heavens above have turned to brass and the clouds have become marble. So, we cry out in fear and frustration for our God. But He does not answer. He seems to have forgotten us and is not available.

Jesus experienced and knew those feelings. As life was ebbing from His body He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” David and Jesus felt abandoned, indeed were abandoned, by those who were their closest friends. They had invested time in training them, being open and honest with them, shared the ups and downs of life with them, and came to believe and trust in them. And, then in their darkest moments felt the pain of desertion and the fear and agony of being alone.

But they would not give up on God! The lamp of faith may have been dimmed by God’s silence but it had not been extinguished by life’s tragedies. Both confessed that ‘He is still My God!”

God never promised that if we believed in Him our lives would be free from the fear of isolation or loneliness. He did, however, promise to be with us in our darkest moments. He did not promise to take us around the dark valleys of life but through them.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Psalm 22:1