My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Anyone who hazards devotion to God eventually repeats this plea for themselves. God, where are you? Why have you left me alone?

God disappears at times. Or at least it feels that way. The death of a teenager, a random act of violence, a cancer diagnosis for a young mother, all land like an anvil dropped from above. Oddly, I’m encouraged to discover King David asking this question. Described as a man after God’s own heart, one who communed intimately with the Lord, he still lost touch in his pain and confusion.

I don’t find easy answers to this disturbing question. I don’t know why God goes silent. Maybe it’s a test of faith, or perhaps sitting in our pain helps us to emphasize with the pain of others? Certainly seeking the Lord when we’re all alone deepens our dependence on him. Regardless, I struggle.

David delivered hope when he later wrote: I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

In the dark times the best I can do is hold on. Cling to faith and wait for the Lord. His goodness will reappear, slowly yet steadily, like a sunrise burning the mists away from the valley of despair. Forsaken yes, but never without hope.

Psalm 22:1; Psalm 27:13 & 14

Photo by Pavel Moiseev