A lot of us are pouring all we have into building our relationship with God not just because He is the Almighty but mostly because we’ve come to trust Him. He’s the only one we can trust absolutely! Coupled with His promise to never leave nor forsake us. That promise allows us to be ourselves, make our mistakes and learn without fearing that God will get sick of our errors and chuck us out of His presence. His trustworthiness allows us to muster courage to live, confident that we are loved, accepted and “stuck” on God no matter what.

Does this knowledge and the assurance and confidence it generates exempt us from feeling forsaken sometimes? I don’t think so: it hasn’t spared me. When do we feel forsaken? When we are down, suffering, justly or unjustly, especially when we lack the support we need to successfully get up. We clearly know when we are forsaken by those we seek to bond with: the signs are clear enough for the blind to see. With God, it’s really not the same especially when “forsaken” is triggered by how we feel instead of what we know. In a world that is quick to attribute God’s approval to good times and suffering to our failure or God’s disapproval, it is possible to think and feel things that are not truth.

Jesus spent every moment of His life on earth doing the will of His Father, yet it is recorded that He learned obedience through suffering. Despite being God’s Son, all His life was marked by suffering. Not once did He deem them as signs or confirmations of God forsaking Him. The only time He used that Word was in the throes of anguish as He died on the cross. With the sins of all mankind on His shoulders, He was truly forsaken by a holy God who cannot accommodate sin. And for that time, God turned away but He didn’t forget. The Father’s heart though bleeding at His suffering, was beating with plans for His resurrection.

Let us not be deceived to accuse God of forsaking us because we’re suffering. If God has promised, He is faithful and honors His Word. He does not change: our behavior is not enough to corrupt His nature or thwart His plans. Nothing can. He is and remains God no matter what! Whether we believe and accept it or not- doesn’t change who and what God is.

If Jesus taught us anything, it’s that suffering is part of life. The world defines suffering as punishment but He considered it a teacher who coaches us to walk the path of consistent obedience with God; surrendered and unquestionable obedience! We can’t accuse God of dumping it on us and sparring His Son. Jesus lived it so He can leave us the perfect example of how to interpret and bear suffering. The enemy instigates that we are forsaken for our failures to turn our hearts away from God, which has always been the goal of the thief but we should know better: to turn to God when we suffer, justly and unjustly. To turn to God when we feel downtrodden and forsaken. To trust our pains and disappointments in the faithful hands of our healer, our Keeper and our Helper.

Glory!