Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Tuesday, February 23, 2016
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; And in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: They trusted in thee, and were not confounded.” (Psalm 22:1–5).
Have you ever been so weary with trials and life’s burdens that you felt like God had forsaken you? Did it feel like no matter what you did or how much you prayed that for some reason God would not listen to you? In this Psalm we read the experience of King David, which also points forward to the closing moments of Jesus life.
Trials are a function of the human experience. We will have difficulties at work. We will have challenges in our relationships. We will have inner conflicts. We will have complex decisions, which seem impossible to decipher. There will be times that even the most faithful among us will feel forsaken by God, but we must not despair. It is in the most difficult of times that our God is nearest. We may not understand why our family members are sick. We will not be happy when we have accidents on the road. We will not agree with people’s assessment of our motives when we have reached out to encourage them when we haven’t seen them in a while. In times like these we must remember that God has delivered us in the past. We must recall the many times He showed mercy when we deserved punishment. We must remember how He lifted us up when we were sad. We must recall His goodness to all of His people, even from the times of the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The same God who delivered them out of their trials; the same God who was with Jesus as He gave His life for all humanity on the cross, is with you today.
So, whenever you feel alone and are tempted to doubt that God hears you when the times get rough, remain faithful to Him and know that He will lift you up if you do not give up. When you are at your weakest praise God for His mercies from the past. Thank Him for never giving up on you even when you cannot sense His presence or hear His voice. Trials, which may seem to be working our demise are a call to greater dedication to our God. Troubles won’t last always. Soon, and very soon, we will begin to experience eternity with God if we keep trusting in Him.
