What happens when you’re going about your life, and you find yourself in some hard circumstances? You find yourself asking God the hard questions: “Where are you? why aren’t you fixing this? why aren’t you working on my behalf?” You feel abandoned by God, wondering if his promises are real, and if he forgot you altogether.

I too, have been in the place of asking God the hard questions, of going through things I didn’t understand, the heartbreak of betrayal, abandonment and abuse. But today, I want to give you encouragement and practical steps to take when you find yourself in that place of not understanding, feeling abandoned by God, or forgotten.

We’re going to be looking at the verse, mark 10:32 in the NIV.  In this verse, We see that Jesus is headed to Jerusalem, where He will be crucified. He knows what’s going to happen to him, He even tells his disciples. yet He keeps moving forward to the place where he will be betrayed by his own, abandoned by his disciples, and murdered by his enemies.

It says,

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.

The First Thing to Remember is that Jesus is Going Before You.

Notice in this verse, that Jesus is going before His disciples.

He knows what’s going to happen, but He also knows what’s going to happen on the other side of it.

Hebrews 12:2 in the New king james version says,

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Know that when all looks dark, when you feel abandoned by God, Hès still there, going before you. You’re not stuck in those circumstances yourself; Jesus is going before you, He knows what’s going to happen, but He also knows what’s on the other side of these circumstances.

Often, when I was going through my own dark time, this verse would come to mind frequently:  

 Hebrews 13:5 and I’ll quote it  in the new king james version.

 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Even If You’re Knees are Trembling

Follow Jesus, even if your knees are trembling.

Notice in Mark 10:32, it says, those who followed were afraid.

It’s ok to be afraid, but don’t let that fear hold you back.

Step past the fear, even with your knees trembling, because God is with you and will not abandon you. Even when you feel abandoned by God, When you see circumstances happening and you don’t understand and can’t make sense of anything. when fear rises up, remember who goes before you. I’ve had to do this so many times in my Christian walk.

Fear would rise up, but God was calling me and confirming to me to step out in faith.  

Never Give Up

The third thing I want to leave you with when you feel abandoned by God, is to never give up.

Do not give up on God before you see the victory. Even when all you see around you is darkness, know the light is still coming.

The man who established our Bible college had a saying, and long after he was gone from this earth, those at the Bible college still teach it.

It was, “Plod on, plod on, plod on”.

What do you do when you feel abandoned by God?

Plod on,

When cirmcumstances come and you don’t understand?

Plod on,

Whene people around you have failed?

Plod on,

Two Choices

Dear sister in Christ,

When you are faced with circumstances that make you feel abandoned by God, you have two choices.

You can give up on God, give up on what He has promised you, and wonder for the rest of your life what would have happened if you kept going,

Or ,

You can plod on, press forward, pushing through the pain and anguish, the fear and not understanding, and follow Jesus, knowing that He knows what is on the other side of what you are going through.

Know that He will never leave you, nor forsake you, that He will never abandon you, He has not forgotten you, and that He has a plan.

And even if days, weeks, months or years go by, and you still don’t understand, know that He goes before you, and plod on with Him.

When you find yourself in that place of a promise before you, but not walking in it yet, and everything looking the opposite, Know that He will encourage you on the way, give you strength and courage, and that one day, you will look back, and you will see all the places where He carried you, where He met you, where He gave you courage, and you will be looking back from that place of victory.

Know that your God has not abandoned you.

This episode was inspired by my Bible Study, Healing the Father Wound.