Have you been forsaken?

by Dorothy Johnstone 

Have you ever felt like everyone you knew, including family and close friends have turned their back on you? Did you know Jesus also felt forsaken, but in the midst of His pain and anguish, Jesus praised the Father, knowing that the Father would never forsake His Son. God is a God of Love, and He does not forsake His people. 
Psalm 22 is about Jesus on the Cross. In the midst of being crucified, He called out to the Father.
  • “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me” (Psalm 22:1)
 
But it is important to read the entire Psalm because it has a victorious ending! 
  • “Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel” (Psalm 22:23)
 
  • “For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him (the Lord), he heard” (Psalm 22:24)
 
This passage of scripture is telling us that Our Father is not ignoring us, and has heard us when we cry out to Him. Psalm 22:3 also tells us that God inhabits praise. This scripture tells us what to do to overcome affliction – we are to praise the Lord!  
Praise is active, and releases the power of God to deliver us.  
  • “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall l be saved from mine enemies” (Psalm 18:3)
 
God loves His people, and will NOT forsake them. 
  • “For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever” (Psalm 37:28)
 
Did you know that your tears are so precious to God, that they are bottled? (Psalm 56:8). This is an act of a loving God. 
God loves you so much that He will even make rivers for you in the desert if He has to!
  • “I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Whatever you are going through right now dear friend, God has not forsaken you. God’s promise to you is that you shall not want, and that He will lead you beside still waters (Psalm 23:1-2). This verse is describing a location – God is leading you on a journey from wherever you are right now to this location, and along the way God will still make provision for your needs.  
God is doing His part; keep on trusting Him in the knowledge that He loves YOU. 
 
May God bless and protect you and keep you safe til the day of your salvation, and forevermore. In Jesus' Name. Amen.