“Has God Abandoned Me?” (3 Promises From God)

God is a relentlessly loving Father, and he will fight for us to the end.

Posted on

I sit in the canyon where the granite is ribboned with a thousand shades of earthy beige.  I’m 20 years old, and I’ve come to this canyon to find answers and seek direction for my life. I feel alone and uncertain as I navigate these rough waters of late adolescence. “Has God abandoned me?” I whisper to the wild Wyoming skies.

I’ve endured some rough years, and I can’t help but wonder what God thinks about my life.

Is he looking at me with folded arms and a disappointed scowl on his face?

Is he rolling his eyes and writing me off?

I surely deserve to be written off.  I’ve been living for myself and not for him.  And here in this valley, he feels about a million miles away.

The old Bible I kept on my nightstand says he is everywhere at all times, but it sure doesn’t feel like it today.

 

Has God Abandoned Me in My Pain?

I leaf through the pages of the Bible on my lap.  I’m not sure why I brought it with me.  Maybe I had some deep hope that God would show up and speak to me through these words.  Much to my dismay, he seems to be nowhere to be found beneath these towering pillars of granite.

My skimming leads me to a familiar passage of Scripture.  It’s the story of the woman caught in adultery in the eighth chapter of John’s gospel.  She’s been dragged into the middle of a vast circle of religious people who are about to stone her to death as the penalty for her sins.

Just as they’re about to start throwing stones, Jesus arrives on the scene.

He bends down and begins writing in the dirt.  The Bible doesn’t tell us what he wrote.  I wonder if that’s because his intention was deeper than words.  He wanted to show us he’s not afraid to stoop low into our dirtiest messes and get our dirt on his hands.

What happens next touches my heart almost as deeply as Jesus’ willingness to step into the messy middle of the woman’s lowest moment.  Jesus invites the onlookers to go ahead and throw their stones – but only if they are without sins.  And one at a time, the crowd disperses.  Jesus doesn’t condemn the woman.  Instead, he defends her.

 

The One Who Defends Us

Friend, Jesus sees your heart, and he is ready and willing to defend you too.  He asks you to humble yourself, receive his forgiveness, and turn from your sin.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus is doing while you are stuck in the sins you can’t seem to overcome?

Have you ever wondered what Jesus is doing while you are stuck in the sins you can’t seem to overcome? 

This passage of Scripture offers ample evidence of his character: He isn’t rolling his eyes or folding his arms in condemnation.  Instead, he is bending low to sit in your dirty mess.  He is defending you.  And he is waiting to pick you up and set you free.

Jesus ultimately forgives the woman and tells her to go and sin no more.  He offers the same invitation to each of us.

As I sit with my Bible beneath the towering granite peaks, I make up my mind to change my ways.

I decide to trust the written Word more than I trust my emotions, and I cling to these three promises:

 

3 Promises for When You Wonder, “Has God Abandoned Me?”

 

1. He will never leave you.

We find this promise throughout Scripture.  Cling to this promise in Deuteronomy 31:8, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (NIV). 

 

2. He will never stop loving you.

Scripture tells us nothing can separate us from God’s love: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NASB).

 

3. The Lord will never put you in a situation HE cannot handle.

Have you ever heard someone say, “God never gives us more than we can handle?”

It sounds nice, but it’s not exactly true.  In fact, God often puts us in situations we cannot handle because these situations are the perfect setting for him to make his power perfectly known.  Here’s how 2 Corinthians 12:9 reads: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

 

The Lord Will Fight for You

My summer in the granite canyon was two decades ago.  It took me years to climb out of my personal valley of hardship, and I’m still a work in progress.  Throughout the years since I wondered if God had abandoned me, I’ve learned one life-changing truth: God is a relentlessly loving Father, and he will fight for us to the end.

If you are wondering if God has abandoned you, rest in this truth: He is pursuing you.  The minute you decide to seek him with your whole heart, you will discover a Father who sets aside propriety and runs to you with open arms.

The minute you decide to seek him with your whole heart, you will discover a Father who sets aside propriety and runs to you with open arms. 

 

 

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe

Featured Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

 

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Stacey Pardoe is a Kingdom Winds Contributor. Stacey's hope is that her words will inspire you to seek God in the midst of your ordinary moments and encounter his love in deeper ways.