For a lesson, I thought I would try and get the board's help compiling a list of Bible characters who felt abandoned by God at some point. It's sort of for myself, too (I'm feeling a bit abandoned at the moment). Here's what I've got. Please add to this list:
- Jesus. "Eloi, Eloi. Lama Sabachthani?" Jesus himself straight up says: "My God, why did You abandon me?"
- Gideon. He felt God had abandoned Israel. (Judges 6). An angel said God had not abandoned them. However, this was of Israel's own doing.
- David. Who--like Gideon--this was of David's own doing--PART of the time. Part of the time, we was off hiding in a cave, away from Saul--solely because Samuel had anointed him and he slew a giant. David did nothing wrong that time.
- Job. Although I cannot pinpoint an exact verse where Job thinks he has been abandoned by God.
- (Elijah). Elijah feels abandoned by Israel--not by God. (I Kings 19:4)
- The islanders in Acts who saw Paul get bit by a poisonous snake. (Acts 28:4)
- The disciples, speaking of the man born blind. (John 9)
- Joseph and Daniel, who must have felt abandoned, but--again--I cannot find a specific verse which says they did.
- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said that even if God abandons them, they still will not bow down to the idol the king created.
I can identify with your feelings because at the depth of my seven-year major depression, I felt that my prayers were bouncing off the ceiling. I learned our feelings often deceive us.
David felt abandoned by God and expressed it in Psalm 22:1, which Jesus quoted on the cross. However, Jesus also said on the cross, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." My conclusion was in studying those two words from the cross, that Jesus expressed his temptation in "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He later expressed his conquering that temptation.
God taught me to deal with my feelings of abandonment by expressing those deceptive emotions in laments. Note Job's laments in chapters 3, 7, and 10. God later commended him for those prayers even though they were his questioning of God's ways, expressing his anger and grief.
David's laments are especially in Psalms 6, 22, 39, and 88. The only redeeming part of the last dark psalm is his focus on God. Complaining to God in prayers with our focus on him is acceptable. It took me 7 1/2 months of that kind of complaining for God to get rid of my major depression, and in another month, the peace of God (Philippians 4:6,7) arrived and has stayed for 32 years.
Anyway--you will not lose your faith and go to Hell if you feel abandoned by God. Even Jesus himself felt that.
