God's Glory Church

Every person has days when it seems that everyone has forgotten about you. This usually happens when something in life has gone wrong – you’re sick or just having a bad day. At such moments, you really want someone to call you, ask how you are doing, or just come visit and talk to you. But, as luck would have it, no one calls you, no one at work pays attention to you. At such moments you begin to think that everyone has forgotten about you. It’s even worse when it seems like God has forgotten about you. You pray, but it seems that God does not hear you. You are trying to understand what is wrong, but you feel that you are fighting with emptiness…
What to do at such a time? How to overcome this feeling of abandonment and not become depressed?

The First thing that is important to understand is that all people go through similar periods in their lives. Saints and people who live without God go through this. This is what people who do not serve God and even those who are God’s prophets face.
“Oh, Lord! You know [everything]; remember me and visit me, and avenge me on my persecutors; Do not destroy me according to Your long-suffering; You know that for Your sake I bear reproach. Thy words were found, and I ate them; and Thy word was to me the joy and gladness of my heart; for Thy name is called upon me, O Lord God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of those laughing and did not rejoice: under Your hand weighing heavily on me, I sat alone, for You filled me with indignation. Why is my illness so persistent, and my wound so incurable that it refuses healing? Will You really be for me like a deceptive source, like unfaithful water?” (Jer.15:15-18)

“Problems may make us think that God has abandoned us, but this is not true at all.”
Even God’s prophet Jeremiah felt abandoned. Why did this happen? He, like us, was a man, and when everyone in his life turned against him, he felt lonely and abandoned. He not only felt abandoned by people, he felt forgotten by God. And so he prayed and asked God to remember him and visit him. And here there is a very important point – what do we do and who do we turn to when we feel abandoned and forgotten by everyone. Jeremiah turned to God and received an answer from Him:
“To this the Lord said thus: If you turn, then I will raise you up, and you will stand before Me; and if you bring the precious out of the worthless, you will be like My mouth. They themselves will turn to you, and not you will turn to them. And I will make you a strong wall of brass for this people; They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, says the Lord. And I will save you from the hand of the wicked and deliver you from the hand of the oppressors.” (Jer.15:19-21)

“The one you turn to in difficult times will be a source of inspiration for you”
We can seek help and comfort from people. We can try to figure it out ourselves and get out on our own. But only God can truly give us answers to all questions and support us when no other person can. It’s very good to have faithful and devoted friends, it’s great when you have a family that will always come to the rescue, but it’s even more wonderful when you can turn to your Creator, and He will help you and save you.

“The Lord is my strength and my fortress and my refuge in the day of trouble!”(Jer. 16:19)
We may ask many questions “why?”, but only God can give us the answer that we really need. For Jeremiah, the answer to all his “whys?” — was God’s call to convert. Turn to whom and turn from what? First, I believe, turn to God. Look to Him for all the answers and find comfort and strength from Him when they have already dried up. The Second is to turn your gaze not on the problems, but on the One who can solve these problems.

“While you are looking at the problem, you only see the problem and its magnitude”
As long as you look at circumstances and not at God, you will only see a lack of opportunity. You can’t look at both what your big problem is and what answer God has for you.

“Am I God [only] near, says the Lord, and not God also afar? Can a person hide in a secret place where I cannot see him? says the Lord. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says the Lord.” (Jer.23:23-24)

God is always near us. It may seem to us that He is somewhere far away and has forgotten about us, but this is a lie. God Himself says that He is near us, even when it seems to us that He has forgotten about us and is somewhere very far away.
Blaise Pascal said the following:“If there is no God, and I believe in Him, I lose nothing. But if God exists, and I don’t believe in Him, I lose everything.”

It is very important for us to trust God in spite of everything and turn to Him when it is especially difficult for us. Only then will we be able to experience what the prophet Jeremiah experienced:

“But the Lord is with me as a mighty warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail; they will be greatly disgraced, because they acted foolishly; the shame will be eternal and will never be forgotten. Lord of strength! You test the righteous and see the inside and the heart. May I see Your vengeance on them, for I have entrusted my work to You. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He saves the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.” (Jer.20:11-13)
Therefore, turn to God when it is especially difficult for you. Seek encouragement and restoration from Him, because only God can provide the answers you need. Praise Him for what He has already done for you and encourage others to do the same.