“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, LORD, have not forsakenthose who seek You.” Psalm 9:10

Not Forsaken

Yesterday the Lord whispered the words “not forsaken” to me. He has not forsaken us in the midst of a pandemic and a nation in an upheaval of violence and destruction. I must admit I have sheltered myself from much of the news of what is going on during this sheltering in. My heart aches and tears flow when I catch bits and pieces. The ever-rising death toll associated with COVID-19, the image of the Lincoln Memorial (of all places!) with graffiti, the anger and rage spilling forth into our nation’s streets, a powder keg brewing from months of anxiety, fear, stress and isolation lit by the flame of more senseless death.

It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed some days.

But God, in His lovingkindness, reminded me He has not forsaken me. Who am I that the God of the Universe would take the time to comfort me? I am His daughter, His beloved, as are all of us who believe. We are fragile, as a miniscule virus has shown—we are broken and we sin—but we are His and we are chosen. We are here to display the glory of God and help those around us see His Light: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

We are not of this world; we are temporary sojourners; heaven is our home. How can this be?

Our ticket to heaven was purchased by the Savior, forsaken by God for a time as He had to turn away from Jesus on the cross, turn from the One who bore all the sins of the world on His shoulders. “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34).

I know I’m not forsaken, because there is no way God would waste the sacrifice of His Son. As we continue to trust and seek Him, He will meet us in the midst of it all. He will give us peace in the midst of upheaval, faith in the midst of fear, strength in the midst of weakness.

 Father God, thank You. Help us to remember that we are not forsaken. No matter what the world looks like, we are Your daughters. Help us to let it be well with our souls. Please stop the pandemic and the violence. We look toward the good that will come out of all of this in Your way and Your timing (Romans 8:28). Help us see even a small portion of it today. Amen.