“For the Lord will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.” (Psalm 94:14, NASB95)
“During WWII six Navy pilots left their aircraft carrier on a mission. After searching the seas for enemy submarines, they tried to return to their ship shortly after dark. But the captain had ordered a blackout of all lights on the ship. Over and over the frantic pilots radioed, asking for just one light so they could see to land. But the pilots were told that the blackout could not be lifted. After several appeals and denials of their request, the ship's operator turned the switch to break radio contact--and the pilots were forced to ditch in the ocean…” (“Today in the Word”, MBI, October 1991, p. 12). It is a horrible thing to picture these lost aircrews having to face their bleak fate alone, abandoned, without hope. Their death on bitter, dark, dangerous seas still hurts my soul to this day just thinking about it.
Abandonment is a terribly lonely and awful feeling. I remember talking to a woman recently at a funeral. With tears in her eyes, she said softly so that only I could hear, “Now, I’ve lost my mother and father to death. For the first time in my life, I feel so alone.” There are many people in the world who feel alone. I’ve seen people die alone in a hospital bed, no relatives in the room. There are children who are orphaned and feel bereft, lost in the adoption system or tired from foraging through third-world dumpsters for food. Throughout scripture, God is seen protecting widows and orphans and needy people. That is why the prophet Zechariah warned people not to oppress widows, orphans, or the poor (Zechariah 7:10). In the epistle of James, the early Christians were reminded that to be pure before God, one needed to “visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27). Our God considers it very important to comfort those who feel abandoned or lost. That is because God wants to be with the faithful. God wants to protect the vulnerable. That’s who God is. Is that who you are?
At a camping program for young children, a thunderstorm blew up from the west. The children were sent to their cabins until the storm died down. A counselor left his cabin to get some something to drink from the mess hall. As he entered the building, he went off to the kitchen area to raid the refrigerator to see if some leftover lemonade was available. Walking toward the kitchen, he overhead a small sob. He followed the sound to find a young boy under one of the tables in the middle of the mess hall. The counselor slowly approached the boy so as not to frighten him. After a few words, the counselor found out that the boy was so afraid of the storm that he never went back to his cabin. The counselor sat with him under the table for a while, then coaxed him into the kitchen for some lemonade. After some time, the boy felt better. He actually smiled. The counselor then escorted the boy back to his cabin. Years later, that counselor relayed to me how frightened that boy looked under that table. The counselor told me, “When I first saw that boy, all I saw was his fear and loneliness. I had to sit with him. I couldn’t ignore those tears! I absolutely couldn’t let him be alone!”
It is also a part of God’s character to be with those who feel alone, lost, or abandoned. Remember, God created Eve for Adam, so he wouldn’t be alone (Genesis 2)! God sent an angel to comfort Elijah when he was depressed and, in the desert, alone (1 Kings 19). Our God has a special place in his heart for the lost and alone, the grieving and depressed, those who feel abandoned. The scripture for today is further proof of this character trait of God. Psalm 94:14 proclaims that the Lord “will not abandon His people”. God will not forsake His nation. God will watch over them and comfort them and be with them.
When Jesus suffered on the cross, he stated, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?”(Mark 15:34). Jesus, dying on the cross, felt so alone. His disciples had abandoned him. One of his disciples had betrayed him. One of his disciples had denied him three times. He felt so vulnerable. However, God the Father was there. The Heavenly Father watched over Jesus’ death and raised Him from the dead. Jesus felt alone, but He was not. God the Father was preparing for the future, watching to see what humankind would do in the face of Jesus’ suffering.
Being human, Jesus felt alone and abandoned on the cross. There will be times you too, feel alone and abandoned. Just as God the Father was there for Jesus, God will be there for you. If you are a faithful one, God will be there. If you call out to God with your whole heart, God will be there. It may not feel like it, but you will never be alone. God doesn’t ever abandon His people. God doesn’t ignore the plight of the vulnerable.
Is there someone who feels alone nearby? What will you do if you see him or her? What would God do? Do you feel alone today? Don’t be surprised if somehow, some way, God gives you a little sign of His presence. Look for it. Trust it will be there.
Abandonment is a terribly lonely and awful feeling. I remember talking to a woman recently at a funeral. With tears in her eyes, she said softly so that only I could hear, “Now, I’ve lost my mother and father to death. For the first time in my life, I feel so alone.” There are many people in the world who feel alone. I’ve seen people die alone in a hospital bed, no relatives in the room. There are children who are orphaned and feel bereft, lost in the adoption system or tired from foraging through third-world dumpsters for food. Throughout scripture, God is seen protecting widows and orphans and needy people. That is why the prophet Zechariah warned people not to oppress widows, orphans, or the poor (Zechariah 7:10). In the epistle of James, the early Christians were reminded that to be pure before God, one needed to “visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27). Our God considers it very important to comfort those who feel abandoned or lost. That is because God wants to be with the faithful. God wants to protect the vulnerable. That’s who God is. Is that who you are?
At a camping program for young children, a thunderstorm blew up from the west. The children were sent to their cabins until the storm died down. A counselor left his cabin to get some something to drink from the mess hall. As he entered the building, he went off to the kitchen area to raid the refrigerator to see if some leftover lemonade was available. Walking toward the kitchen, he overhead a small sob. He followed the sound to find a young boy under one of the tables in the middle of the mess hall. The counselor slowly approached the boy so as not to frighten him. After a few words, the counselor found out that the boy was so afraid of the storm that he never went back to his cabin. The counselor sat with him under the table for a while, then coaxed him into the kitchen for some lemonade. After some time, the boy felt better. He actually smiled. The counselor then escorted the boy back to his cabin. Years later, that counselor relayed to me how frightened that boy looked under that table. The counselor told me, “When I first saw that boy, all I saw was his fear and loneliness. I had to sit with him. I couldn’t ignore those tears! I absolutely couldn’t let him be alone!”
It is also a part of God’s character to be with those who feel alone, lost, or abandoned. Remember, God created Eve for Adam, so he wouldn’t be alone (Genesis 2)! God sent an angel to comfort Elijah when he was depressed and, in the desert, alone (1 Kings 19). Our God has a special place in his heart for the lost and alone, the grieving and depressed, those who feel abandoned. The scripture for today is further proof of this character trait of God. Psalm 94:14 proclaims that the Lord “will not abandon His people”. God will not forsake His nation. God will watch over them and comfort them and be with them.
When Jesus suffered on the cross, he stated, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?”(Mark 15:34). Jesus, dying on the cross, felt so alone. His disciples had abandoned him. One of his disciples had betrayed him. One of his disciples had denied him three times. He felt so vulnerable. However, God the Father was there. The Heavenly Father watched over Jesus’ death and raised Him from the dead. Jesus felt alone, but He was not. God the Father was preparing for the future, watching to see what humankind would do in the face of Jesus’ suffering.
Being human, Jesus felt alone and abandoned on the cross. There will be times you too, feel alone and abandoned. Just as God the Father was there for Jesus, God will be there for you. If you are a faithful one, God will be there. If you call out to God with your whole heart, God will be there. It may not feel like it, but you will never be alone. God doesn’t ever abandon His people. God doesn’t ignore the plight of the vulnerable.
Is there someone who feels alone nearby? What will you do if you see him or her? What would God do? Do you feel alone today? Don’t be surprised if somehow, some way, God gives you a little sign of His presence. Look for it. Trust it will be there.