Feeling Forsaken by God? You Are Not!

Are you feeling forsaken by God? Do you think He doesn’t care about what happens to you? Scripture is clear that you are not forsaken, even when you feel like you are.

A Stack Poem about Faith

I love to write poetry, and one of my favorite poetry form is called “stack poetry.” I write a poem by drawing upon the titles of books, which I stack up so that the titles create the structure for the poem. You can do this in your own library (as I have in the photo above) or you could start with greater variety and write a stack poem in a library or bookstore.

For this poem, I was thinking about what the cross of Christ means for me and you.

This I Believe
This I Believe about my God
in so few words, but plenty indeed
The Day Christ Died upon the cross
there came upon the land A Glorious Dark
Triumph from Tragedy is what we gained
As Darkness and Light felt forsaken
But The Light and The Glory overcame

Jesus Felt Forsaken by God

Jesus felt as if He had been forsaken by the Father as He hung upon the cross for our sins. Matthew records these words:

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)
Matthew 27:45-46 NIV.

You can read the whole account of what transpired from the crucifixion to the burial of Jesus in Matthew 27:32-61.

When Jesus spoke these words, He most likely quoted Psalm 22, which scholars consider prophetic of His death. King David wrote this Psalm at a time when he felt God had forsaken him. However, it contains many references that were fulfilled during the crucifixion, such as the verse that says, “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment” (Psalm 22:18 NIV).

Feeling Forsaken in a Popular Worship Song

In 1995, Stuart Townsend wrote what has become a popular worship song called “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.” We sing it sometimes in my church. We also sang it at the end of the leaders’ meeting when I was a Bible Study Fellowship children’s leader.

I remember one time when we were singing it in BSF, one line hit me wrong. It didn’t seem to ring true to me. The line is, “How great the pain of searing loss – The Father turns His face away.” I struggled with the idea that God turned away from Jesus as He died on the cross. I asked the teaching leader about it after the meeting, saying I didn’t think that was true. She brushed me off and just said, “Oh yeah, He did. God can’t look upon sin.”

What Does Scripture Say?

I determined to research the issue and see if there is scriptural support for the idea that God actually turned away from Jesus as He offered the greatest sacrifice. Beyond the fact that Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?,” I couldn’t find anything.

I read the rest of Psalm 22, looking for insight. In verse 24 I found my answer.

For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
Psalm 22:24 NIV (emphasis added).

I could find no other scripture that suggests God abandoned Jesus as He obediently bore the sins of us all.

Feeling Forsaken Doesn’t Mean Being Forsaken

There have been times in my life that I have felt forsaken. But over and over scripture tells me God will not forsake me. From Deuteronomy 31:6 to Hebrews 13:5, God repeats His assurance that He will never leave or forsake those who trust in Him.

I believe God’s promises are sure and true. If He could forsake His own Son on the cross by looking away, then what hope do I have that He will not forsake me? My own obedience and faithfulness are nothing compared to that of Jesus.

If, as my BSF teaching leader stated, God can’t look upon sin and so had to look away from Jesus as He bore all our sins on the cross, then what hope do we have that He won’t turn away from us in our deepest despair and pain? Thankfully, scripture surpasses the wisdom of my teaching leader and the writer of “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.” And scripture indicates that Jesus felt forsaken but wasn’t, that God grieved when Jesus died but didn’t look away, and that we are ever in our Father’s care.

Closing Prayer on Feeling Forsaken

Heavenly Father, often the weight of sin makes us feel forsaken. Thank You that You promise to never leave us or forsake us. Bring peace and assurance into the heart of each person reading this article today, no matter how deep the despair they might be feeling. Make Your presence and mercy known in their heart today. In Jesus’s name, amen.