Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Would you rather listen than read? Listen here.

Fighting Lyme Disease

There were many days I laid in bed fighting Lyme Disease and asked God where He was in this? So often when I tried to walk with my cane, and my leg would drag, I would ask God for what purpose this served. Other times I would sit on my stool in the shower and let the warm water run over me, while tears ran down my face, and wonder where God was in the pain. It made no sense, and even though I knew God was near, He felt very far away.

This year I am reading through the Bible, and I read a Psalm each day. I got to Psalm 22 and came to a halt. It begins with, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” The psalmist continues, “Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out to You by day, but You do not answer, by night, but I find no rest” (Psalm 22:1-2 NIV).

Reading these words took me right back to that time of struggle. The grief I felt then came flooding back. I kept reading and many of the phrases became more and more familiar. I recognized them from the New Testaments as the words of Jesus, so I had to stop and dig into this psalm a little more.

Psalm 22

I encourage you to read Psalm 22:1-31, here by hovering over the scripture or clicking it. David writes this beautiful poetry, but it clearly points us to the cross. The first line, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me” are the words we hear Jesus speak from the cross in Matthew 27:46. In no way do I want to say my suffering compared anything to Jesus’, but it brings great comfort to know He endured more than I have and knows exactly how I feel in all circumstances.

Many times I felt guilty in my asking or complaining over my fight with Lyme Disease, but the following words of Matthew Henry, in regard to people crying out to God, brought me peace.

“Even their complaint of these burdens is a good sign of spiritual life and spiritual senses exercised. To cry out, ‘My God, why am I sick? Why am I poor?’ would give cause to suspect discontent and worldliness. But, Why has thou forsaken me? is the language of a heart binding up its happiness in God’s favor.”

Calling Out To God

When we call out to God, it expresses our faith that we expect Him to answer. Our prayers of desperation draw us closer. Jesus cries out these words from the cross because He knows His heavenly Father will respond. God does not remove Him from the trial, but He gives Him the strength to get through. Sometimes God shows up and performs the supernatural, and healings or situations change instantaneously. Other times we have to walk through the fire, but the miraculousness of it is no less powerful.

By following the example of this psalm, we see David cry out in verses one and two, but then in three thru five even though the suffering is not gone, he praises God for who He is.

“Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the One Israel praises. In You, our ancestors put their trust and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were not put to shame.”

Psalm 22:3-5 NIV

Deliverance

Let’s look a little deeper into the word ‘delivered’ here. Many of you have probably heard of the term deliverance and many times it can have a negative or scary connotation to it because we don’t understand it or have seen movies that sensationalize it. But deliverance can mean so many wonderful things.

In the text above, the Hebrew word for delivered is pālet פָּלַט meaning; to escape; to rescue, or to bring to safety. When we are in the struggle, whether with our health, finances, addiction, divorce, the list is too long, remember the same God that delivered David from the hands of His enemies, and Jesus from His, is the same God that wants to deliver you from yours.

I have experienced deliverance from disease through God’s healing touch. It came from countless hours of personal prayer and people praying for me. I have experienced deliverance from past wounds through the laying on of hands and prayer. And I have experienced deliverance from where the enemy has placed a stronghold in my life and it came tumbling down with even more prayer.

"Prayer, no matter if it comes from complete anguish on our knees or lifting someone up as we drive to work, God hears them." Click To Tweet

Prayer, no matter if it comes from complete anguish on our knees or lifting someone up as we drive to work, God hears them. As Psalm 18:6 says, “From His temple He heard my voice.” Then again, in Psalm 10:17, we read, “You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed.” (NIV)

I would like to pray with you…

If you are feeling like I have many times, unheard and distant from God, I want to encourage you to keep praying. Keep seeking. If you feel too weary, ask someone to come alongside you and pray for you. We are not told to walk this road of life alone. We are stronger in numbers.

I would love to pray for you. You can always reach out to me by using the ‘contact me’ page.

I am so excited! They have new ‘Write The Word’ journals.