Have you ever felt that the Lord has forgotten you? Maybe you are struggling in a relationship. Maybe you or someone you love has a serious health issue. Maybe your parents are getting divorced and your world is falling apart. Maybe you have lost your job. There are a myriad of situations where it may feel like God doesn’t care or know what is happening to us. We may be as desperate as King David in Psalm 13. Here David asks the Lord point blank, “Lord, have you forgotten me?”
Psalm 13:1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? [1]
The Hebrew people in the story of Moses had been slaves for over 400 hundred years. That meant that no Hebrew living at that time knew what it was to be free. They had been slaves for sixteen generations. They don’t realize it at the time, but God had not forgotten them and is about to act. The Lord has not forgotten about you and knows all about your situation.
Exodus 3:7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” [2]
But no matter how we “feel,” or what lies the deceiver throws our way, God’s word reminds us of truth. Life may look bleak and God may seem distant. Even when God remains silent, He is still with us. And He has a plan, for He’ll never abandon us.
If you’re struggling now, or have found yourself there in recent days, you’re not alone. Even those who have journeyed closely with God through long years, heroes of the faith, have wrestled with the same doubts and feelings. The Bible is filled with stories of courageous men and women who encountered seemingly insurmountable obstacles, finding themselves in dark places, who felt all alone in the midst of it all. We can learn from their stories. The stories of the Bible are still relevant for today and are powerful reminders that He cares.
No matter how dark the struggle, God is able to bring power and victory through it all.
Jesus, our Savior, died on the cross. He was willing to endure great pain and suffering on our behalf causing the darkness of the world to fall on His shoulders. As He was obedient to the Father, He felt the depth of separation from God. And in His greatest moment of anguish, we read these words, quoted from Psalm 22:1, which David had spoken years before, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:45.
He did not question God but showed us the anguish of soul He carried as He bore our sins. Jesus, our perfect example, pressed into His Father in that time of great darkness. He cried out to Him for help and relief, He knew where to go to find strength for all that He endured.
As a result, God’s power broke through. Jesus was buried but He didn’t stay there. He conquered death through the power of the Resurrection, and He paved the way for us to walk free. God can bring great victory to the darkest of times. For Jesus has conquered the very darkness of death and separation. We are never forgotten. The God who sees all, knows all, and holds all purpose and timing in His hand, is the God who fights for you and me. He gives victory, power, peace, hope, strength, and wisdom. And He is with us. To hear more about the God who remembers, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/the-footsteps-of-moses/the-call-of-moses
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.