Abandoned By God

Psalm 22 verses 1 and 2 
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.

Yesterday we talked about unanswered prayers. Today we go a step further: when we think our prayer has not been answered, in some extreme situations like the death of a loved one, or a serious illness which won't go away, we can feel abandoned by God. But is it really so?

Feeling abandoned is not the same thing as being abandoned.

So, having made that distinction, do we feel abandoned or are we really abandoned? Or is there some wisdom or logic, beyond oir comprehension?

Recently, while researching on the topic of unanswered prayers, we came across a real-life account of a person who felt abandoned. We will not try to reproduce the story, but let you read it yourself. So here it is.

https://thecatholicwoman.co/letterstowomen/reckoning-with-grief-and-unanswered-prayers

Unanswered Prayers

"Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers

Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs

That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers"

Unanswered Prayers. Songwriters : Garth Brooks / Pat Alger / Larry Bastian

I believe that there is no such thing as unanswered prayers. It is more a lack of discernment when we think our prayers have not been answered.

We have all, at some point, prayed very hard for something, planned for something we deeply desire. But it does not happen. At that time, we feel let down because things did not turn out the way we had hoped. But, and I have said this before, our disappointment with God is because our will was not done. 

So, the very basic principle of the Christian faith, embodied in the Lords prayer, is some thing we don't really believe in. That Gods will is paramount, in line with His plan for us is not acceptable. Deep down in our hearts, our will becomes paramount and we mouth uselessly " thy will be done".

It is in retrospect, when we look back, that we truly understand that His will was perfect.

So: is there any such thing as unanswered prayers? We think not. when we pray for something which mayn't be in line with His will, rest assured that it will not be done. That does not mean He has not listened and replied. God does not work according to our will.

If we think we know what's good for us, God knows what is better for us. 

So, in essence, relying on this principle, one can assume that every prayer is answered because, something better is part of Gods plan and which becomes our destiny. This is not rationalization. The proof is within each one of us, hidden away in our memories.

Our past shows us that we are dear to God and being that we can be sure that He will ascertain the best for our future. That best may not be in line with what we want, but it will be what we need, to live a life as God would like us to. He answers every prayer. 

And now here is the song by Garth Brooks

Unanswered Prayers.

Beyond The Miracle

Yesterday we talked about our prayers and supplications for help to overcome various life challenges, we often call it a miracle.

What is a miracle? A miracle is an act not fully explained by natural forces but attributed to supernatural forces, mainly God. There are many definitions of miracles.

But, biblically speaking miracles involve God doing something uncommon and usually awe-inspiring in order to reveal himself to mankind (The shepherd church).

When we experience a miracle, small or big, it is divine intervention. We agree to that. But let's think beyond that: that God, whom we know from afar, has actually touched us!

What a wonderous fact. If we have experienced a miracle we have actually experienced and felt God!

Yet, we need to remember one thing: That  God is as part of our everyday lives as He is for any miracles. 

Miracles are always within the grand design of God the Creator and fall within the category of prophetic symbolism intended to draw attention to something beyond themselves that confirms the word of God. They are not isolated gestures on the part of God but play an important part in the execution of the grand design of the Creator for the redemption of His creatures.

Divine Intervention

Image ; Poweroflifenow.com

2 Kings 19:19 "Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only".

How many times in life are we in a situation from which we see no hope? When all possible doors are closed. And yet we have survived and recovered. It could be a health crisis, financial doom, some natural event (like covid) or some professional problem. When everyone lets us down our final stop is before our God. At the time we pray and hope and beseech God and beg for a rescue. And when that happens, which may not be as we had expected, we seldom look back more than a couple of times.

My family and I were saved from being touched by the Covid in such an unexpected way that it was nothing short of a miracle. Yet it had a very negative impact financially. Should I be praising God vociferously for being saved or let that great feeling of a miracle and gratitude be pulled down by the weight of the financial losses? I am sure nearly all of us face such dilemmas in our lives.

Psalms 30:8 says - "I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication."

Yes, we pray and hope, but it is also our duty to shout with joy to the world of His saving and His grace.

The last line of the quoted verse is clearly laying out an instruction (and this is repeated many times) - ..."that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only".

Why should God and His divine intervention save me? Because He loves me and so that "To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever". Psalms 30:12