Trusting God When You Feel Forsaken

“All my close friends abhor me, and those whom I love have turned against me.”

JOB 19:19

 

PONDER THIS

Can you trust God when others forsake you? Maybe you’re going through that right now. Has your husband forsaken you? Have your children abandoned you? Has a trusted friend or a business associate turned on you? The devil says, “Yes, let that happen to them. God, they’ll curse You to Your face.” But that wasn’t true for Job.

Perhaps you’re a preacher, and your church has turned on you. Perhaps the pulpit committee that called you to the church now wants you to leave, and the reason is that you’re just preaching the Gospel. Don’t think that if you preach the Gospel, the world’s going to love you. The same world that hated Jesus is going to hate you. You can get in trouble for preaching the Gospel. Sometimes, your closest associates, the people you take counsel with, even in the house of God, will turn against you. You’d better trust God when friends forsake you.

When was a time you felt forsaken by friends?

How is God your ever-present friend, even in the darkest moments?

PRACTICE THIS

Write a list of ways God is a faithful friend and worthy of trust in every season.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Forsaken So We Wouldn’t Be

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?”

PSALM 22:1

 

PONDER THIS

When Jesus Christ went to the cross, He was the sin-bearer. He who knew no sin, God made to be sin for us. And my sin, your sin, all sin was placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Habakkuk 1:13 says that God’s eyes are too pure to look upon sin. God turns His face from sin. The Lord Jesus Christ became the sin-bearer for us, and He had to suffer the penalty. The penalty for sin is to be forsaken by God. Jesus on the cross said, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

He who had been in the bosom of eternity past was forsaken by God the Father. King David, who wrote this psalm, said in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” When Jesus Christ died, He walked that lonesome valley all by Himself, so that we would not.

How does it humble you to remember Jesus was forsaken by God so you would not be?

How should this motivate us to tell others of the great love of Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with someone about the love of Jesus that was poured out on the cross.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Feel Forsaken?

PRAY OVER THIS

“All my close friends abhor me, and those whom I love have turned against me.”

Job 19:19

 

PONDER THIS

Can you trust God when others forsake you? Maybe you’re going through that right now. Has your husband forsaken you? Have your children abandoned you? Has a trusted friend or a business associate turned on you? The devil says, “Yes, let that happen to them. God, they’ll curse You to Your face.” But that wasn’t true for Job.

Perhaps you’re a preacher and your church has turned on you. Perhaps the pulpit committee that called you to the church now wants you to leave, and the reason is you’re just preaching the Gospel. Don’t think that if you preach the Gospel the world’s going to love you. The same world that hated Jesus is going to hate you. You can get in trouble for preaching the Gospel. Sometimes your closest associates, the people you take counsel with, even in the house of God, will turn against you. You’d better trust God when friends forsake you.

When was a time you felt forsaken by friends?

How is God your ever-present friend, even in the darkest moments?

PRACTICE THIS

Write a list of ways God is a faithful friend and worthy of trust in every season.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers