Not Forsaken
To our fellow sojourner’s in the faith of Christ,
The Lord does not lie and will be faithful to fulfill all of His promises. His faithfulness ensures that the Lord absolutely and positively will finish the good work He starts. The result will be salvation as Christ is formed within us.
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Psa 94:14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
This promise to finish the work and not abandon it is more than just a verse of Scripture; it is the heart of the Gospel and a most precious promise given to His people. Being faithful is who He is, and He has never changed.
Deu 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised;
It matters not how shaky our faith may be in a moment or how much or far we have fallen. The Lord is the one doing the work and cannot fail for His name’s sake.
2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
1Sa 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
Holding dear to His promise and character sees us through the tough times necessary for salvation.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust
Psa 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Like our Lord, we all are being perfected on this third day, which is our appointed day of the Lord. Losing one’s life in the carnally minded world is difficult to endure but necessary to be remade into the image of God. Times do come upon us when we feel forsaken by the Lord and cry out to Him. As He is, so are we.
Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Being crucified for Christ brings these feelings of being forsaken, albeit only for a short moment. Lord willing, during these seemingly unbearable times, we can hold tight to the precious promises of the Lord. The mercy of the Lord triumphs over judgment, and in due time peaceable fruit of righteousness shoots forth.
Isa 54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
Isa 54:8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
Peter admonishes us to hasten the coming of the Lord within by striving to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. The Lord is manifesting our every thought, including any feelings of abandonment. These acts of God are for the greater good of our salvation, specifically to turn our hearts and focus back on Him and His voice.
Deu 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
Deu 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
“Being Forsaken” For Correction:
The absolute truth is that the Lord never forsakes us. The Lord does, however, seemingly abandon us to regain our attention when we forsake Him. There is always a purpose for good in the ways of the Lord.
2Ch 15:2 The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
Jos 24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
Israel (you and me) is taught this lesson many times to establish the Lord in our hearts. Experiencing a temporary “separation” from the Lord is part of maturing and the salvation journey. The Lord uses this for correction, to teach us obedience by things we are given to suffer. But through all of this, His faithfulness to His people remains steadfast.
Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
Psa 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Psa 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Psa 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
Through all our experiences, even our lamentations, the Lord is working righteousness within us on His schedule. We are not cast off or forsaken by the Lord. He is working our sufferings for good in the end as He is always merciful.
Lam 3:31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
Lam 3:32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Despite verses that by themselves say the Lord forsakes the disobedient, the sum of the Word promises us that this shall never happen. The Lord never leaves us, even in our times of sin and rebellion. As clay in His hands, we are never far from the Lord; He is always right there.
Psa 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If we feel abandoned or forsaken by the Lord, we should know that the Lord has given us this trial to turn our hearts back to Him. We are promised to find Him and live if we seek Him.
Psa 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Psa 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
The Lord promises to give us anything we genuinely need (not want) if we seek Him first, which means putting our trust in Him. Nothing will be withheld from what we need.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Psa 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
When weaker in faith, we think the Lord has forsaken us and forgotten all about us and His promises. Nothing seems to be in our favor. Everything we do or are involved with is problem-plagued and frustrates our very existence. This may revolve around anything: our health, finances, job, family, house, neighbors, and acquaintances; the list is endless. We, as Zion, cry out to the Lord.
Isa 49:14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
The Lord is always working in our lives, including every minute detail for the counsel of His will. In due time, we will learn to trust in Him and be assured that He has not and will not forget His own children and creation.
Isa 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isa 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
While the world and carnally minded are definitely rejecting us, the Lord will not leave us except for those moments needed to correct. No matter how hot the fire [living hell] becomes in our day of the Lord, trust in the Lord and know the Lord is faithful to His children.
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Whatever place we find ourselves ultimately gives way to a time of peace as we enter into His rest. We endure many struggles and wait for the Lord to complete His work and find peace. The trouble we face can come from many sides, yet all of it works for good in the end. We are being saved by our hope in the promises of the Faithful One.
2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
We are learning to take comfort and solace in whatever the Lord is working in our heavens and earth as we walk only by faith and not sight. By seeking Him, we know the Lord is with us and is providing everything we need for holiness and righteousness.
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
The true Israel is the apple of God’s eyes. We are the Lord’s people, created and now being remade into His own image. He will not fail and is right on schedule with His plan in your life.
May these words bring comfort and encouragement to those who can hear them.
Pete & Ronel