Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Was Jesus really abandoned by his Father on the cross? Do you also feel abandoned by your Father at times? Keep Reading...

​READ
Psalm 22:1-11

KEY VERSE
Psalm 22:1 - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?

THINK ABOUT IT
Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Perhaps you have cried out to God, "Where are you? I can't hear you or feel you." Jesus also felt this same thing when he called out to his Father from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46

But had the Father forsaken his Son? No. On the cross Jesus spoke out the opening lines of Psalm 22. The Jews who were looking on would have known the rest of the Psalm. For they had committed much of the Psalms and Prophets to memory. As Jesus gasped his final breath, he spoke out his real feelings of being forsaken - just as the Psalmist had done.

As you read further in Psalm 22, you will notice declarations of the Father's greatness and nearness. The Psalmist writes, "Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel." (Psalm 22:3) Again, he says, "I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born." (Psalm 22:10)

Remember - Jesus is fully God and fully man. As a man, he felt incredible pain and abandonment. Yet, he knew his Father. He trusted in his Father's nearness. Just like the Psalmist, Jesus was real with his feelings AND real with his trust in the Father. So speak out your real feelings of sadness, even abandonment. But don't stop there. Keep declaring the truth of your Father's nearness. He has never left you and never will.

PRAY
Father, I feel ______________________. And I want to declare that You are always with me. I trust in Your goodness and care. Come, make Yourself known to me in a deeper way than before. Thank you, Father. Amen.