Westside Church of Christ

There are times when it feels as if God is absent. Burdens weigh us down, and He is nowhere to be found. We pray, and nothing. Unsettling questions arise wondering why He isn’t listening or acting. The problems persist. Quiet time with our Lord is just one more pointless endeavor, so it becomes a labor rather than a pleasure. Has He forsaken me?

The thought nags at us. It nagged at David, too (Psalm 22). He found no rest in the night and no answer in the day. He felt like a worm who people ridiculed. He was a discouraged, depressed man. Occasionally, we might share those sentiments. We’re not the first. The Psalms take us through the roller-coaster of emotions that we encounter and have to deal with. They help.

It is comforting to know that we are not alone. The king. The psalmist. The man after God’s own heart. The adulterer. The murderer. It was all rolled into one man who knew the ups and downs of being human. He stood. He fell. He wrote, and we have his words that take a relationship with the Lord into the real world of successes and failures, joys and sorrows. It is far from ideal. It’s emotionally charged. God and His word are perfect. We are not.

David’s self-esteem had taken a beating. They made fun of him, scorned his faith and knocked him down more pegs than he had. He was miserable from his melted heart to his out-of-joint- bones. Nothing about him was okay, and he was passionately wondering, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The response? Total quiet. Nothing. He hurt and God was mum.

Been there? We smile and say we’re fine. We aren’t. Pain deep inside and no relief. At first, we miss prayer time occasionally. It grows harder to squeeze it in when we feel no one is listening. A week goes by, and our spirit sags still more. We have no energy for it and stop. Now, what?

David poured out his heart to God. His words gushed with pain. Read Psalm 22. He held nothing back. His world was a rotten place, and he dumped it all out before His Lord. Will we? In times when we feel abandoned by Him and everyone who matters to us, will we speak honestly to Him about our raw emotions? It’s okay. We can, and He wants us to. After all, He already knows.

The words of David echoed into eternity when they came from the Savior in His dying moments, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” He went through that for you and me. We feel that way sometimes, too. Seek Him. Cry for Him. And remember Him. He created us, we will again praise Him and tell of Him. Miserable times come and go. The Lord remains forever.

Call to Praise: Acts 8:25-31

His word on it: Acts 8:35

Sermon: “The Importance of One”