You may feel that the suffering will never end. The nagging rejected feeling that hits during an intense faith crisis has you on the sidelines somewhere waiting for hope to drive by. Not only is happiness waning, but it is wafting in the air as circumstances have not changed. There is something amiss. You are a strong Christian and by all means, you are considered a warrior! Faith tests are just for unbelievers, right? This begs the question, “God, why are you punishing me?” You pray, tithe, forgive, and work to be a good person in the faith. There is no reason for the mounting stress and mess you feel that is your life. Whether you are mad at Him, want to shake your fists at Him, or want to hug Him, God is all we have, so in the end—who could we run to? We believe that God has flaws, especially when He is not moving in our lives. There is always hope that He will pull though and our allegiances will hold out. Having feelings like these are real. And if we are painfully honest, we might have thought of leaving our faith or worse. This is between you and God, but hiding under the fake facade as if nothing is hurting you, is bull. This could be a wake-up call to help you depend on Him more, or a sign to lay everything down at the altar. We don’t want you to give up, and neither does the Lord. Here are 6 ways to remain encouraged when you feel forgotten.
You are not alone.
In the Old Testament and in the New Testament people have gone through trials and wondered were God was. Take solace in the fact that you are not alone and the company is famous! King David, Mosses, Paul, and Jesus struggled with feelings of loneliness and feeling abandoned. God will never forsake us. This is tough when all Hell is breaking loose and prayers are bouncing off the walls and into the abyss. God is there in the pain, even if you don’t feel Him or His power. He is with you before and after the storm. Encourage yourself by reading other accounts of people going through this in the Bible and in the church.
Stand against doubt.
Doubt is the biggest deterrent to faith. When doubtful thoughts come, immediately send them their notice. Replace them with hope and faith-filled words that have a way to transformation any situation. To get started go to the concordance of your Bible to find Scripture to encourage you and use it as a weapon. Speak life into tough circumstances and moments. Make a habit of filling-up on God’s promises, so when hard times come, the Word of God is already safely planted in the heart and mind. Find the strength to stand up to the enemies (worries, hurt, and bitterness) of life. Watch the mountains start falling and realize that God has made a covenant with you. In Isaiah 54:10 God said “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,' says the Lord who has compassion on you.” Take a firm stand against doubt by digging into your inner strength. You have nothing to lose.
Get alone with God.
Quiet time in Lord can look different to people. Take a step back when there are trials. We know it is hard and we want to control things and make life better. But sometimes it makes worth wild to take a spiritual break and hiatus from ourselves. Practice taking time as your mind loves to wonder. Ask God to start replacing distractions with His thoughts. Turn off electronics, social media, and television. Share with others that you need space. When you do talk with the Lord, start chatting with Him on what is bothering you. Be honest, you can’t hide what is in your heart.
Praise stops the Devil.
Before passing over this tip, give us a moment. No one wants to praise God when they are struggling. This is probably the most painful thing to do when life feels broken. We do not know what is going on in the spiritual realm. The Devil knows that you don’t want to sing praises to the Lord. So He will attack emotions and your thought life. Try offering thanksgiving and praise it will elevate your heart and mind.
God’s timing is not ours.
"My God, My God, why has thou forsaken Me,” Jesus cried out to the Father. Jesus was losing hope that God was listening. But God’s timing is never ours. God did deliver Jesus, but there was doubt. It was the same with David as he was running from Saul and hiding in caves. David asked the Lord “Will you forget me forever?” We are hard on ourselves when there are struggles, and God’s timing does seem really off. It may take time, but we need to get to the place where if it brings God more glory that A, B, or C does not happen, we can move on. Sometimes forcing a breakthrough to happen will exhaust you. No matter what Jesus can bring you through the darkness, as He was there Himself.
Do not suffer alone.
We are not meant to do things alone. Find people to pray, encourage, and keep you accountable. A trusted friend can remind us of how far we have come. They can offer insights and a better perspective when life is out of hand, Family Shared explained. Another reason having people around to cheer you on is so you don’t go into a spiritual or mental depression. Never do it alone. We are stronger together.
There are ways to handle the pain of feeling forsaken by God. No one really has answers on why things happen. The only thing we can change is making a decision to not let it rob us of our hope and joy. One thing is certain, God is not surprised by our struggles or what is in our hearts. He knows our path and we need to trust Him even if we never receive the answers.
