Time Alone With God
A Devotional Study for Discovering
Renewed Hope in God
Diane K Chamberlain
Copyright 2011
Smashwords Edition, Licensed Notes
Acknowledgements
First, I thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ because this book is only what it is because of Him. He has become the dear friend that has filled the empty voids of my life, while going through many, many years of pain and heartache. He has taught me how to rise above my own despair; that I may find a greater strength in Him. We have journeyed long together; but through our travels, I have come to see and know Him, for who He really is and I know that our journey will end in Heaven, where I will meet my friend face to face, for the very first time.
Second, I thank my husband, Keith, for the words of encouragement that he has given me throughout our marriage. When I did not believe in myself, God used my husband in a great way to encourage me and let me know that I could do anything with God’s help. He believed in me, when I could not believe in myself and he stayed close, when others walked away. As I have seen, God use Keith in my life over time; I have found within my own life; the plan and purpose for our marriage and our life together.
Finally, I dedicate this book to all the people who I have come to know in my ministry, along with others who have cried out to God in need; to those who have felt alone or have had others walk out of their lives, while facing difficult circumstances. My prayer is that you too will discover a God who longs to love and care for you…a God that desires to exchange your weaknesses, for the strength of a mighty God!
Preface
There are people, who are going through insurmountable moments of adversity, as we live in these end days and they are feeling lost, with no way out of the wilderness of their despair. “Time Alone With God: A Devotional Study for Discovering Renewed Hope in God” will help a person to reconnect with God, rather than the circumstance and help them to see that there is a way out, with God’s help.
Throughout my own journey of endless surgeries and heartache, I remember the moments, when I felt so lost and alone and as I have allowed God to bring me through the trying times within my own life; it is my desire to share the words He has used with me, that others may find freedom from despair too.
A circumstance can become a lonely place, where a person only seems to experience the dark and dismal side of life. They can feel lost and wonder where the presence of God is, during the trying times in their life. A life can change from a fragrant pathway, to a pathway that only allows the person to feel distant from God. Instead of falling prey to these pathways that belong to Satan, it is time to stand up…shake the dust from our feet and allow God to safely walk us out of this wilderness of despair.
“Time Alone With God: A Devotional Study for Discovering Renewed Hope in God” will allow a person to discover moments alone with God that can draw them closer to Him and further away from the problem. This book will help a person to realize that there is renewed hope, even during moments of trial. Instead of facing our problems head on, there is a way that we can rise above the moments of despair, to discover God in a greater way.
Over time, I have written many devotions and blogs that became words of hope and inspiration but now God has allowed me to write a book that can become a daily manual to live by, with the Bible.
In the past, I remember many moments, when I could never see a way out of my circumstances. There were moments when I felt doomed and captivated within my problems but God proved me wrong and in His time, He brought me through moments that I thought would never exist in my life.
There are times, when I think that we allow ourselves to fall within the web of our problems and that is when we feel trapped, with no hope of escaping the circumstance but just as I stand here today; I want to testify that God is always faithful and will never abandon us.
Rather than giving into our circumstances, we need to work with God and show Him the desire of our hearts and this book will become a guide that will keep you connected with the most powerful source of help…Jesus Christ!
Introduction
“Time Alone With God: A Devotional Study for Discovering Renewed Hope in God,” is a book of devotions, that have been compiled into book form, so rather than reading a devotion every day, this book will become a personal Bible study, between you and God.
The book will become a study that will take you on a journey, from a point of weakness or suffering, right on through, to the time of discovering renewed hope in God.
The book has eight different sections, many chapters, and tidbits of hope throughout the book. The first section is dealing with an unsettled circumstance or the moment of adversity…the time when we feel the weakest. From there, we go into a section that helps us to understand, what can allow us to fall further into despair or what can lead us into other traps, set up by Satan and then we will do a study on Satan and the plan he has, for keeping us in despair.
As we come to the center of the book, we will study the things that will help us to view our trials in a different way, so we can see them through God’s eyes, instead of our own. From there, we learn in section five, how we can weaken evil and as we enter section six, we begin to take a new turn, away from our despair and study the things that will bring us to a healing. Once we have discovered a healing through Jesus Christ, we will enter section seven and learn how we can continue to press on, with God’s help, especially after overcoming a previous circumstance.
As we enter the final section of the book…section eight, we will study a renewed hope that can usher us into the presence
of God. In this section, we will study the peace of God…the peace that can calm any new storm that may arise. Then we will study different forms of love that can bring renewed hope back into our lives and finally, we will view eternity, as the final step of our journey. In this chapter, we will study how important it is to remain close to God, especially during times of adversity and we will come to see, that each choice we make in life, can keep us doomed within our despair or our choice can be a means of God, eternally lifting us out of despair.
We do not always understand the reasons for these moments of adversity but one thing we do know; is that with God in our lives, there is a way out… a means of walking beyond a powerful circumstance, to find a greater God!
Table of Contents
Section 1: Unsettled Circumstance
Chapter 1: Suffering
Chapter 2: Why Do We Feel Abandoned By God?
Chapter 3: God has Not Answered My Prayer
Chapter 4: Suffering…A Means of Knowing Christ
in a Greater Way
Section 2: What Can Draw Us Into Further Despair
Chapter 1: Our Thoughts Can Become the Culprit of our
Needs
Chapter 2: Limiting God
Chapter 3: Good Soil vs. Bad Soil
Chapter 4: An Addiction of the Mind…Controlled By Satan
Chapter 5: Allowing God to be God
Section 3: Satan’s Plan for Keeping Us in Despair
Chapter 1: The Deceptive Personality of Satan
Chapter 2: The Battle
Chapter 3: Why Do I Do The Things I Desire Not
To Do?
Chapter 4: A Wrong Connection
Chapter 5: Using Prayer as a Last Resort
Section 4: What Will Help Us To View Our Trials
Differently?
Chapter 1: Asking Amiss
Chapter 2: Losing Strength vs. Gaining Strength
Chapter 3: Are We Missing God’s Response?
Chapter 4: God’s Power vs. The Power of our
Weakness
Chapter 5: God’s Truth vs. Satan’s Deception
Chapter 6: A Difference Between Despair and
Defeat
Section 5: Weakening Evil
Chapter 1: The Armor of God, Protection from the
Forces of Evil
Chapter 2: Looking Through the Eyes of God
Chapter 3: Praise…A Powerful Weapon
Chapter 4: Truth…The Gift That Keeps Us Free
Chapter 5: Communicating with God
Section 6: What Will Bring Us to a Healing
Chapter 1: Faith…Believing in an Unseen God
( Part 1)
Chapter 2: Faith…Believing in an Unseen God
( Part 2)
Chapter 3: Rising Above Despair
Chapter 4: A Means of Escape
Chapter 5: God’s Provisions
Chapter 6: Accepting God’s Will
Section 7: Pressing On With God’s Help
Chapter 1: Knowing God in a Greater Way
Chapter 2: Understanding the Holy Spirit
Chapter 3: Discovering God through the Holy
Spirit
Chapter 4: Discernment…Knowing and Under-
Standing the Voice of God
Chapter 5: Making the Right Choice
Chapter 6: Letting God Do It His Way
Chapter 7: Mercy…God’s Way of Never Letting
Go
Section 8: A Renewed Hope That Will Usher Us Into
the Presence of God
Chapter 1: The Only Peace that Can Calm the
Storm
Chapter 2: A Love that Brings Renewed Hope
Chapter 3: Eternity…The Final Step of our Journey.
Dear Reader: A Note from Author Diane K Chamberlain
Section 1
Unsettled Circumstance
Chapter 1
Suffering
Any type of suffering can allow us to feel as though God has abandoned us. We can feel so alone and drained from the moments we endure, that we find it difficult to see anything good…let alone God.
In my own life, I went through numerous knee surgeries; trying to correct a problem from birth. Even while facing these moments in my life; I began to live with the painful memories of sexual abuse and the loss of many things; including the loss of children. Over time, my life began to feel so overwhelmed, as though my plate of circumstances were overflowing.
As we begin this chapter, I would like to discuss how we can take the word “suffering” and use it as a means of creating a closer relationship with God…a relationship that will allow us to see a glimpse of Gods light, instead of feeling surrounded by the darkness that stems from our problems. Matthew 26:39 says… “Going a little further, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” This verse takes us back to a time, just before Jesus’ death on the cross. We are seeing two sides to this verse, as Jesus is beginning to get a glimpse of the suffering that He will go through before and during the moments of the cross. He is admitting to His Father, in the beginning of this verse, that if it is possible, could this cup or moment of suffering be taken from Him but at the same time; Jesus still longs to do his Father’s will, even if it means living out God’s will through extreme moments of pain and suffering.
After reading this verse, the first question we should ask ourselves, is “why would Jesus abandon us, when He Himself knows and understands the depth of suffering, due to what He experienced in His own life, at the time of the cross?” Jesus’ death was to reveal a heart of understanding, rather than to be lived in vain.
How many times have we asked God to remove a moment of pain or heartache from our own lives but He never did? This is not a means of abandonment; instead, this is a means of God revealing His will for our lives. God understands that these moments will never be easy for us, just as He knew the same, while His Son, Jesus Christ hung on the cross. We need to realize that there may be moments, when God will turn His head, for just one moment of satisfaction; just as He did for His Son on the cross…a time when God allows something great to spring forth, through a time of pain and suffering.
We can begin our relationship with Jesus Christ, through our own moments of pain and heartache, when we allow ourselves to bond with a God who became the complete example of suffering. Instead of thinking that God has abandoned us, why do we not view Him as a God, who is turning His head, for one moment in time; that we may discover the true purpose He has for our lives.
Now that we are beginning to relate with God and the example He has set forth for us to follow, when it comes to moments of suffering; we may be asking ourselves next… “Why hasn’t God completely relieved me of my suffering; especially since He claims to understand the meaning of suffering?” We may understand His reasons for turning His head for one moment of satisfaction; but at the same time; why have these moments of suffering lingered, with no end in sight? Mark 15:31 says… “In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!” Jesus was in a position, as God’s Son, where He could have saved Himself from the cross; but He chose not to because He knew that His death would save many people from their sins. Jesus was not only able to spare His own life but He could have had others put to death, for attempting to crucify an innocent man. If we are going to see our pain and heartache, as a means of drawing closer to God, instead of feeling abandoned by God, then we need to see these moments that we are going through, in a similar way…to the way that Jesus saw His own moments of suffering.
Jesus saw His moments of suffering, as a means of becoming the complete sacrifice for us, while revealing His great love, to a world that was lost in sin; but He also went through the moments of suffering because His love for us outweighed any moment of pain and suffering that He would have to endure. Are we willing to share in this part of the relationship with Christ? We need to ask ourselves this question… “Are we willing to lay down our own desires, that we may return our love back to Christ, while enduring pain and heartache; that we may allow His perfect will to be accomplished within our own lives?” We need to remind ourselves that our relationship with God, should allow us to share and connect with Him, rather than the world. Could we be viewing our moments of pain and heartache in the wrong way? We should not desire, for God to relieve us of our pain and heartache, just so we can move on with our lives and do, as we desire. We need to remember, that we gave our lives to God, so He could work in and through us. We may not always want to accept the road that He has given us to travel on; but in the end; we will see the results of His work, just as we have seen the result of His work, through Jesus Christ His Son.
Just as Jesus’ death served a purpose, God may also be allowing our moments of pain and heartache, so he can make Himself known to the world. II Corinthians 12:9 says… “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” The next question we need to ask ourselves is this, ”How are we going to experience the hand of God at work in our lives or how are we going to find the need to depend on God for something in our life, if we are never put to the test?” A relationship needs to be two-sided; otherwise, there can be no relationship at all…right? If we always have everything easy in life, then would we ever have a need for God? Our relationship with God should not only be a relationship, where we only know of Him through His word; but instead, it is about truly knowing Him, as we share in the sufferings of Christ. When we share our lives with Christ, whether it be through the good times or bad; we find that we relate more directly with Him, as we praise Him for the good He has done, while discovering a reason to lean on Him for guidance and strength, through the difficult moments.
We need to remember too, that God can only work His desires through us, when we give Him the room He needs to work. His desires may not always be what we desire but we must remember that we were the ones who gave Him the invitation, to come and live within our hearts. We were the ones who made the choice to say, that He could do anything He desired. It is amazing how the pain and heartache can manipulate us, to the place where we forget our vows to God. We find ourselves so deeply caught within the web of our suffering, that we do not see how God’s desires can bud forth from our moments of pain and heartache. Acts 12:2-11, reads… “He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. (3)When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also, This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (4) After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. (5) So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (6) The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. (7) Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. (8) Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. (9) Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. (10) They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. (11) Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now, I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
One of the things that we lack in our relationship with God is the need to communicate with Him. Just because God has allowed something challenging into our lives, does not mean that He has forsaken us. As Christians, we not only need to share in the sufferings of Christ; but we need to share in a time of communication with God…a time when we can allow God to see the need of our heart.
Through the prayers that were given up for Peter; he soon was reminded of the power that God still held within His mighty hands, as God sent an angel to rescue Him.
If we are going to have a closer relationship with God, while facing these difficult moments in our lives, then we need to also share our feelings with God and continue to lean on Him for His help. Just because God allowed the moments of imprisonment to enter Peter’s life, that did not mean that God had walked away and abandoned Peter. When we are able to experience the mighty hand of God, while going through these challenging moments in our lives; then we will not feel so abandoned by God; but instead, we will know that we are walking with a God that will never fail us.
Are we allowing our view of pain and heartache to control us by the world’s standards or God’s? This is an excellent question to ask ourselves because, when we allow our view of suffering, to control us by the world’s standards, then we will never be able to see or experience a true relationship with God. Instead, we will find ourselves controlled by Satan, until he can convince us that God has completely abandoned us. Romans 8:17 says… “Now if we are children, then we are heirs…heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Suffering is not a matter of how much and how long; instead, it is more important to share our life and a true relationship with God, through the suffering…a relationship that will take us into an eternal life with Him. Do we find, that we are more concerned, as to where our moments of pain and heartache are taking us or are we more drawn to the suffering itself?
Why do we as Christians feel that we should have a perfect life, in an imperfect world? One thing we need to reflect on, when it comes to our circumstances and that is that we do not live in a perfect place called Heaven yet. This temporary home is a place where God is preparing us for Heaven and there may be moments in our lives, when we will feel the wind of circumstance surrounding us…that we may be able to discover new growth and a strength that will cause us to move one more step closer to Heaven. Philippians 1:29 says… “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,” How is God going to know us, when we meet Him for the first time, face to face? Will He know us, just because we accepted Him into our lives? I feel that God will recognize us, by the moments we share with Him now. As we enter Heaven, He may say… “I remember you because we shared in the moments of your pain and heartache and we formed a relationship through the difficult moments you faced in your life.” Another thing God may say is… “You were the one who cried out to Me for help, while we talked about your needs.” Maybe He will even say to us… “You were the one who allowed me to work in your life, so I could repair a flaw, which you could not see at the time.” God does not want to know us only by the word “Christianity;” He wants to know us through the relationship that we form together over time, especially while walking down difficult pathways. This is not a time to run away from God or sit in our “pit of despair,” while contemplating on whether He has abandoned us or not. Instead, this should become a time, when we use our difficult moments to connect with a higher power…a God that can walk with us, until the storm passes by.
We need to understand, that God is not abandoning us; instead, it can often times be the moments of suffering, which may be driving us away from God. The feelings we experience can become moments when Satan uses our weaknesses against us, while trying to convince us that God has truly forsaken us. Revelations 2:9-11 says… “I know your afflictions and your poverty…yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (10) Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. (11) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” First, God is stating that He understands and knows about our moments of pain and heartache and yet at the same time, He still is saying that we are rich. Why is that? Because verse 9 is pointing out to us, that we are rich in Him…not money. These verses are also telling us, that we should not fear the afflictions or circumstances that may come into our lives because even though we may feel imprisoned within our problems; in the end, if we are faithful; we will receive something better in life, which is the crown of life.
We need to understand, that these moments of pain and heartache are either going to help us relate to God or push Him out of our lives. We will find ourselves leaning on God, while facing moments like these or we will find ourselves leaning on the problem or ourselves. Whatever choice we make, this will determine whether we find God in a greater way or if we will make Him distant in our lives. How are we going to learn how to be overcomers or allow God to walk us out of a wilderness of affliction, if we have never experienced any form of suffering? The trials that we go through right now will allow us to become defeated or they will help us to rise above the despair in our lives…to a place where we come to find God, in a much richer way.
Right now, God is preparing us for Heaven, while we are going through the greatest test ever…the test that will either bring us into a closer relationship with God or allow us to become distant from His presence. Are we viewing our moments of affliction through the eyes of God or are we viewing them through a worldly standard? Do we focus on what we are going through, instead of looking at the good that can arise from the moments of pain and heartache? If we could begin to see our moments of affliction through the desires that God has for us, then we would find that we are able to cope with our circumstances, which would allow us to experience a renewed hope in God.
An added tidbit of hope
I Peter 3:17, says… “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” How many of us seem to say to God… “Lord, I do my best to remain close to you; but why do I still suffer?” We cannot seem to win, can we? We suffer for the good, just as much as for the bad. What is going on? First, we read in this verse, that if we are going to suffer in this life, then it is better to suffer for doing good, rather than for doing evil. Let us face it…if we do something wrong, then we deserve to pay the price. Even though we may have to go through a tough circumstance, in order that we may learn how to reverse our wrongs into what is right; that does not mean that God has stopped loving us. We need to realize, that God is rubbing out the flaws that will hinder us in our lives. Once the flaw is gone, then God will be able to make us into better vessels for Him.
We deserve to learn through the wrong that we have done; but why is it that we still experience moments of affliction, when we have done nothing wrong? God says in this verse… “It is better, if it’s God’s will, to suffer for doing well;” that we may grow stronger in Him.
No matter what we may be experiencing right now, we will always have a battle raging within us, when we know Jesus as our personal Savior. The battle will be between good and evil. As we aim to grow through our moments of affliction, Satan will always be right behind us, while he waits, as a lurking lion to feed on us, as a weak animal. This is why we need Christ's strength. These moments of strength come, when we are willing to exchange our moments of weakness, for a greater strength in God.
Chapter 2
Why Do We Feel Abandoned By God?
In the previous chapter, we talked a little, about why we tend to feel abandoned by God, while going through moments of affliction. In this chapter, we will continue to discuss some other experiences in life, which can cause us to feel distant from God.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” If this is true, then why do we feel as though God abandons us? We need to reflect on this thought; that the God we sometimes feel abandoned from; allowed His only S on to die a brutal death; but not as a means of forsaking His only Son; but instead, as a means of revealing love and forgiveness through the cross. We need to ask ourselves this question; why would a God of love and forgiveness…a God who never abandoned His only Son, during His death on the cross; abandon us, while going through our moments of affliction? God allowed His Son’s death, as a means of revealing His great love for us. Since His Son’s death on the cross was a means of saving us from our sins and revealing His great love to us; then how could we ever think, that God would turn around and abandon us, after all, He had already done for us.
As we have already discovered…pain and heartache can be one of the culprits, that can allow us to feel separated or abandoned by God. II Corinthians 4:8-12 says… “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; (9) persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (10) We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (11) For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. (12) So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” When we go through times of affliction, we can begin to wonder where God is, at this crucial time in our lives. At the time, when we are in pain or when we are dealing with grief and heartache, the circumstance can seem so overwhelming, that it is not always easy to feel the presence of God. When we view our moments of affliction with our own eyes, all we seem to see is the raging, and overwhelming presence of a problem…a presence that seems to control us, as if we were a puppet on a string. When we turn to God and focus on Him, then we see that our moments of affliction, eventually take us to a place where we experience new growth and a strength that can only come from the presence of a strong God. We need to remind ourselves, that God’s plan is not to abandon us; but rather to use our afflictions; that He may be seen to others in need.
We may have moments in our lives, when we feel as though we are walking the last mile of our life, due to the overwhelming moments we are facing but what we are actually experiencing, is the spiritual death of our own self; that Christ may become more profound in our lives, through our affliction. These overwhelming moments of pain and heartache can cause us to cry out to God and say… “Where are you?” This is where we begin to lean on God and draw Him closer to us, as we depend on Him, to help us through these difficult moments. When we can relate to God in this way, while we experience the deep moments of affliction, then we will discover that He had been there all the time.
Discouragement is another way we can feel abandoned by God. Psalms 42:1-5 says… “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (3) My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”(4) These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the processions to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. (5) Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” During this time, David was going through moments of discouragement. He began to pour his heart out to God, in such a way, that his tears became his meat day and night. As David became more discouraged with his circumstance, he cried out to God, from a heart that had a deep longing for His presence. As David continued to pour his need out to God, it was as if he had stopped and discovered what he was doing wrong because David said to himself… “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. ” In other words, David asked himself…why is it that I feel down and discouraged, when all I need to do is reach out to God? We can experience a similar situation, due to our circumstances. We can cry out, repeatedly… “Where are you God?” without realizing that God is already there for us. Discouragement can allow us to feel abandoned by God, when we are searching for a God that has already been there all the time.
When we experience failure in our lives, we can also feel forsaken or abandoned by God. Joshua 8:1 reads…“Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.” After Israel was free from Achan’s sin, Joshua prepared to attack King Ai again. Joshua had to learn, to shake the dust of his mistakes from him, so he could press on, and continue to do Gods will. When we find that we are falling backwards in life; we can feel as though God has become so distant; but this isn’t the time to give up; in fact, this is the moment when we must get back in touch with God, as He replenishes us with a new beginning each day.
There were many times in my own life, while facing multiple surgeries and other times of testing; that I found it very difficult to keep going. When I connected myself to God, through prayer and reading of His word, I found His presence to be closer. Our choices in life can either take us to a place, where we live alone in despair or we experience the true presence and power of God.
Loneliness can also lead us down a pathway, where we feel distant and away from God. Psalm 4:8 says… “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Our circumstances can allow us to feel alone in despair or we can also feel lonely because friends and family have grown tired of our afflictions and have walked away from us. After experiencing these times of loneliness in our lives, we can begin to convince ourselves that God has walked away too. As Jesus Christ experienced rejection and loneliness on the cross, we can find Him to be a good friend that can understand the loneliness that may come into our own lives. With His great heart of understanding, He can help us to lie down in perfect peace and rest within His sheltering presence, as the feelings of abandonment begin to fade away.
We can also feel as though God has abandoned us, when we feel the overwhelming loss of certain things in our lives. We can feel as though God is punishing us or we can feel as though He has quit loving us and has walked away. Matthew 16:25 says… “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
After going through multiple knee surgeries, counseling for sexual abuse and the loss of many things in my life, including the loss of children, I began to see my life, as though God had completely abandoned me. I watched other people go on with their lives, while my life began to feel empty…as though God had packed up and moved out. I felt as though He had stripped me of everything in my life, except for the very air I breathed. Why was He taking so many things away from me? I finally came to the realization, that each loss was becoming an opportunity for God to replenish the emptiness with His will and desire for my life. In other words, He was taking the desires away, that would detour me from following His will and He was exchanging them with a heart that could understand pain and heartache; that He may use these painful moments in my life, as a means of reaching out to others.
God desires to make us into a perfect vessel that He can use, to bring honor and glory to His name. If there are things in our lives, that may be blocking His will from happening, then sometimes God has to remove them; but just because He is at work in this way in our lives; does not mean that He has abandoned us; in fact, He is working, to make our lives more complete in Him.
Another experience in life, that can allow us to feel distant or abandoned by God, are the moments from our past. Psalm 23:4 says… “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” When we choose to walk into the past alone and deal with unresolved issues, then we will feel the loss of God’s presence. We need to realize that God has not abandoned us during these moments; instead, we have abandoned Him, by choosing to walk into the past without Him. On the other hand, when we choose to walk into the past, as a means of remembering something good, like the moments when God brought us through a need, then we will feel His presence of peace and He will be there to protect us from the enemy.
This verse goes on to say, that even when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not have to fear any evil because God is with us. When we choose to leave God behind and try to walk the pathway alone, we will be open to the ways of darkness, which may cause us to experience fear and other negative feelings, including the feeling of abandonment.
When God opened the door for me to walk in and deal with my sexual abuse; at first I chose to try and work it out on my own but after doing that for a while; I began to feel the loneliness and what I thought was abandonment from God. I finally came to a time in my life, where I learned, that I had to be on the same pathway with God. Once we made a connection, then God and I began to walk together, rather than walking separately.
While dealing with an unresolved issue, we do not have to feel the emptiness of God’s presence. He is more than willing to walk with us, until we are truly relieved of the past.
Another experience in life, that can allow us to feel abandoned by God, is God’s timing. Exodus 2:23-25 says… “During this long period, the king of Egypt died, The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out , and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. (24) God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. (25) So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” God’s timing is not always the same as our timing. When we don’t feel God’s presence at work in our lives; we can begin to feel abandoned by God but could we be missing out on His presence because we are too busy trying to fashion God after our own timing? When we do this, then we can feel as though He has walked away from us; while all along, we have either ran ahead of God or lingered behind Him.
We need to remember that God’s desires and timing for our lives, is not always going to match up with what we think they should be. When we become uncoordinated, with God’s timing and desires for our lives, then we can begin to feel alone and away from the presence of God, which only allows us to feel abandoned by Him.
The final experience that can allow us to feel abandoned by God is when God’s answers to our prayers do not always match up to our desires. II Samuel 7:8-13 says… “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. (9) I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. (10) And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning (11) and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: (12) When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. (13) He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” In this reading…David thought that he would be the one that would build the house of the Lord. After all, that David had gone through, God was now blessing David with a place to rest his head and reign as king. David’s desires were now to build the best house or temple for God to reside in but that was not God’s plan. Instead, it was God’s plan for David’s son, Solomon, to build the house of the Lord.
We can experience similar moments in our own lives, when we ask God for something, only to find, that God has a different plan for us to follow. We can begin to feel as if we are traveling down a pathway, that is so distant from God, so we must remember that when we ask for God’s help; then we must also be prepared for God’s will to be accomplished, according to His desires for our lives. When we find ourselves looking for God’s will, instead of what we desire, then we will always remain on the same pathway with Him.
Jesus has already proven Himself faithful to us, through the brutal death of the cross. If He did not abandon us at the cross, then why would He abandon us now? John 14:18 says… “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” How could a God of such love, rescue so many people in the Bible from defeat, such as Job, Joseph, Jeremiah, Esther, Ruth and so on, if He is a God of abandonment? Could it be, that maybe we have been the one who has abandoned God, through our own desires and ways of thinking? When we finally come to the realization, that we need to view our afflictions through God’s eyes, instead of our own, then we will begin to experience the hope, that our God has not abandoned us; but instead, has drawn Himself closer to us, as He begins a new work within us.
An added tidbit of hope
Isaiah 54:10 reads… “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you”
Our circumstances can resemble mountains…crumbling to the ground, while the hills disappear and attempt to take us with them. We can feel abandoned by God during these times, while we feel as if we are slowly slipping into despair but God says in this verse, that His kindness will never fade away and His promise of peace and mercy will always be with us, no matter what we may be facing for the moment.
The difficult moments in our lives, that can cause us to feel abandoned by God, become the moments when we discover that we have given up and walked away from Him. Seems as though we face a problem and before we know it, we have allowed the problem to pull us down; rather than finding God’s strength, as a means of lifting ourselves up, so we can rise above the despair in our lives. This is a dangerous place to be because the despair will not only take us down; but it can also pull us away from the presence of God, where Satan can cause us to feel as though God has abandoned us.
No matter what the circumstance may be; God longs for us to stand up and shake the dust of the circumstance from us, so we can once more connect with Him. Psalm 112:7-8 says… “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (8) His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.” When we begin to identify more deeply with God, instead of standing face to face with the circumstance, then we will be able to rest with a settled feeling; that my God is truly with me. We will not have doubt or fear creeping in; but rather, we will feel and know His presence, as a mighty God, that will never leave us or forsake us.
Chapter 3
God Has Not
Answered My Prayer
We can find ourselves frustrated, as to why God has not answered our prayers. Does God not love me? Why are there so many people afflicted, while a powerful God reigns over this world? Has God forgotten me? Ecclesiastes 3:11 says… “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” God has given us only a taste of Heaven, as we experience His presence each day; but some of His ways remain hidden from us, so that we may learn to lean on Him and long for His wisdom and truth in our lives.
What can make life difficult is when we cannot see how God is going to answer our prayers. We can feel as if we are on a pathway; looking into the darkness of the unknown; a place that only God can fathom and understand. This pathway ends up becoming a journey, where we find ourselves leaning on God to show us the way. The moments we spend with God on this journey, will eventually lead us to the completion of His will; but until that time comes, we need to trust God and believe that He knows the way. This journey can also be a journey of “blind faith;” in other words, we will only be able to keep pressing on; as we trust God for the things we cannot see with our own eyes.
Why are there times, when God withholds an answer to our prayers? Genesis 25:21 says… “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” As Isaac pleaded with God, to answer His prayer and bless Rebekah with a child, God also desires that we communicate with Him too. How often do we take God for granted? I guess we just feel that God already knows the need and He will answer the need; but that is not exactly how God operates. God longs to hear us talk with Him about our needs, as a means of letting Him know that we are depending on Him, instead of relying on our own thoughts and desires. God may decide to withhold an answer to a prayer because He wants us to connect with Him, in a way that will allow us to desire his will for our life; rather than using Him to grant us our own desires. He may be longing for us to appreciate more of His ways, as a means of pressing on with Him; rather than to remain idle, in our old life of despair. No matter what God’s reasons are, He longs for us to have His desires etched upon our hearts, so that we will come out of the circumstance with new growth.
Prayer is more than asking for something from God; but rather, prayer can also become a means of relying or waiting on God, until His timing reveals a response. God may also need to work on a flaw in our life…something that will help us to see our lives in a different way, while we wait for a delayed response from God. I Samuel 28:15 says… “Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bring me up?” “I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.” Saul never received a response from God because he had turned his back on God and did not wait upon Him for His response. He took it upon himself to make decisions for him and his army; rather than waiting upon God, so God left Saul and chose David to become king in his place.
God needs us to look for His response to our prayer needs, instead of expecting Him to answer our prayers according to our own desires. How can God answer our prayers, when we are in tune with the circumstance or ourselves? Maybe God has something He wants us to do for Him; but instead, we choose to go our own direction, with our own desires and in the end, we become distant from His voice. When we pull ourselves away from His desires and persist on getting our own way, then we will never be able to know God’s response because our own desires will be in the way. If we want God to hear our prayers and if we want to hear His response, then we need to lay our ideas before Him; but in the end, we must let Him make the final decision…knowing that He knows what’s best.
Another Bible reference that refers to what we previously discussed is in II Samuel 7:10-16, which says… “And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning (11) and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: (12) When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. (13) He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (14) I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. (15) But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. (16) Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” David longed to build a temple for the Lord; but it was not God’s desire for David to build it; but instead, it was God’s desire for Solomon, David’s son to build the temple of the Lord. Even though God did not give David his request, God continued to use David as a king for His people.
When God says “no” to a request; it doesn’t mean that God has walked away and abandoned us; but rather, God has greater plans for us; but if we keep our thoughts so tightly fixed on the things that God never desired for us, then we will never find God’s true desires for our lives.
In my own life; I longed to ride a bike, play tennis, and ice skate but at the time, I was enjoying them the most; I was losing them one by one, as I began to have more difficulties with my legs. It was not easy at first, to understand why God was saying “no” to the things I desired the most. For many years, I focused on what I could not have in life, until God began to reveal the reason behind each difficult loss. As I began to let go of each loving desire and surrender my life back to God, I began to understand that if I had everything I longed for, then I would not be walking on the pathway that God had destined for me. I had to learn, that just because God did not always answer a prayer, in the way I desired, that did not mean that He had walked out of my life.
Could it be that we are not seeing our prayers answered because we are too busy placing limitations on God’s timing? Luke 1:13 says… “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John” Do we place God’s response to our prayers within an hourglass of our own choosing? If we are, then we are placing limitations on God. In this reading, Zechariah was burning incense in the temple, when the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and told him that Elizabeth would have a son, named John. Can you imagine what Zechariah was thinking, when he heard this? Later in the chapter, Zechariah responds back to the angel of the Lord and mentions that he is of old age and Elizabeth is barren and of old age too. At this point, Zechariah begins to place limitations on God. Instead of believing in the unlimited power of God, Zechariah allows his circumstance to control his way of thinking.
In a similar way, God can allow our prayers to be unanswered because His desire for the moment may be to answer our prayers, in a way that will open up His power to others and us. When we watch God at work in this way, then our faith begins to rise and we find ourselves humbled before a great and powerful God.