From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Have you ever "felt" forsaken, even by God? Felt forsaken and actually being forsaken are two different things. This is a great word on this topic by Tiffany Ann Lewis. She shares some great analogies from Biblical accounts of others who have also felt forsaken at times, but were truly NOT. This will bring you great comfort and confirmation that you are not alone. Be encouraged that you most certainly are NOT forsaken!
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Tiffany Ann Lewis:
Feeling Forsaken? Reach Out to God
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"—Matthew 27:46
My God, My God, why have Thou forsaken Me? These gripping words were uttered by our Savior from the Cross over 2,000 years ago, yet many are feeling the same way today. For many, 2010 wasn't the year they hoped it would be. The eleventh hour has come and gone and the situation has remained the same, leaving the struggling soul feeling forsaken by God. Perhaps that's you today, and you can't see a promise in your current suffering. Perhaps it's gotten so bad that you can't even talk yourself into trusting once again. If so, please read on.
I have experienced feeling forsaken by the Lord first-hand. I don't know about you, but for me, the feelings of guilt that accompanied my grief made me feel worse because I thought I was a double-minded Christian. After all, how could I be feeling forsaken if I truly believed the promise that the Lord will never leave or forsake me? Have you ever felt this way, too?
Feeling Forsaken is Not the Same as Being Forsaken
Let's consider this cry from the Cross, beginning with a familiar Scripture: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-3 & 14).
I highlighted the term "Word" in these passages because they are all the same Greek word logos (Strong's #3056) to describe the "Word" of God that was made flesh in the man Jesus Christ. But here's the thing, beloved: Jesus Christ isn't just the Word of God made flesh, He is the Promise(s) of God incarnate. Yet even still, in His humanity, the very Promise of God experienced the feelings of being forsaken by Him.
Please don't skim over that statement. Think about it: as the Word/Promise(s) of God made flesh, Jesus certainly knew better than anybody that God would not leave and/or forsake Him. Nevertheless, with His bloody back scraping against the wooden Cross, He cried out in His distress, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
It is difficult to understand in what sense Jesus was actually feeling forsaken by God. Some suppose that Jesus cried out because He was encountering the sin of humanity. While that certainly may be true, I believe that this utterance was a part of His humanity, thus it is a part of ours, too. Here's the thing that is very important for us to remember in these moments of desperation: feeling forsaken is not the same thing as being forsaken. God promised that He would not forsake us, not that we wouldn't have feelings of being forsaken. That subtle difference is paramount to me.
The Hebrew word which is most often translated as "forsaken" is 'azab (pronounced ah-zav; Strong's #5800). The basic meaning of 'azab is to leave, abandon, depart from, to let loose (in the idea of being loose/not firmly attached), to let go, and to leave behind. In other words, God promises/says that He will not depart from you. He will not abandon you. You will not slip from His hands; He will not let you go. Beloved, you are firmly attached to the Lord Jesus, nothing can take you from His hands.
I can hear the Lord speaking now in the Spirit saying, "I know what you are feeling. I know you hurt, I know you're confused, scared, and even disheartened, but I am still with you. I have not forsaken you. Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden and I WILL GIVE YOU REST."
Let's pause for a moment and come into the Lord's presence and allow Him to calm our fears and restore our hope through His Word made flesh, through His Promise(s). "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Selah...
Beware of the Tactics of the Enemy
The devil has one primary goal: to kill, rob, and destroy us. One of the primary tactics that he uses is our emotions when we are hard pressed on every side. He wants us to doubt the goodness of God and the power of His promises and be swallowed up by our fear of being forsaken. Beware of this, beloved, because if we believe that God has forsaken us while we are in the thicket of trials and tribulations, we become easy prey for the enemy.
I am reminded of Job and his wife. Scripture reveals that while they were going through their suffering, she said to him, "Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9). Remember, she was suffering too; it wasn't just Job that lost everything...she did too. In her distress she might have felt forsaken and lost hope, because in that moment she encouraged her husband to do the unthinkable; she encouraged him to give up on God, to curse Him and just die.
Although most of us would probably say we would never curse God, there is a lesson we all can glean from here. Even if you don't out right curse God, perhaps it's possible to give up on Him, to give up on the promise, to succumb to the suffering and just want to die. Can you identify?
Perhaps you have lost everything and now your soul is screaming and you just don't know what to do. When you lose your job, your house, your health, or God forbid, your loved one, He is there. In such immense pain and suffering you may feel forsaken, you may even want to curse God, but that is just what the devil wants you to do. Instead, reach out to God.
The Lord Has Promised He Will Never Leave Nor Forsake Us
I would like us to ponder Hebrews 13:5b and burn into our mind some of the truths found there so we can battle the devil the same way Jesus did: with the Word of God. It is written, "...be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5b) In Greek, the phrase "be content" means so much more than to be quietly satisfied and happy. It means to possess unfailing strength, to be strong, as well as to suffice, and to be satisfied. I believe this is a supernatural strength that gives us supernatural contentment as we reach out to Him and He holds onto us. "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
Looking at this passage in the Greek text, we discover that it is a very emphatic phrase. What I mean by that is the negative expressions of no, not, never are doubled, they are repeated twice. By repeating the phrase, the author adds emphasis and intensity to what he is trying to communicate to his readers. Although a literal translation is very difficult due to the strange structure of the sentence, one Greek scholar translated it like this: "No, I will not leave thee; no, neither will I not utterly forsake thee" (emphasis mine). I can hear passion in the Lord's voice as He tries to convince us of this truth.
O' Hallelujah! "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19, NIV)
So while we have troubles in this world, He has overcome the world. Don't pull away in your pain but reach out to Him. In sickness and health, through richer and poorer, through trials and tribulations, and even in life and death, the Lord God Himself has promised He would never leave nor forsake us. We will not be left behind. We will not slip from His grasp. This promise was sealed in the Blood of Christ. Amen and Amen.
Tiffany Ann Lewis
Dancing with the Flame of the Lord Ministries
Email: tiffanyann@tiffanyannlewis.com
