Not Forsaken, Not Forgotten!

April 14, 2026

Scripture

“I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.  They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.”  Psalm 37:25-26

Not Forsaken, Not Forgotten!

I felt abandoned.  I was convinced no one cared about me.  I was certain no one noticed my situation.  I was confident no one would help me.  I felt forsaken and forgotten, deserted and discarded, alone and avoided.

There were moments when I even felt Jesus had forgotten about me.  It was easy to believe there was no help and no hope and no healing coming as an answer to my prayers.  I found it difficult to believe my circumstances were getting any better even when I waited on the Lord. 

Instead, my feelings of helplessness and hopelessness as well as my sadness and fear seemed to grow stronger.  Jesus’ silence was almost unbearable.  I prayed and prayed and prayed.  And yet, I still wondered where Jesus was when I felt so alone, so forgotten, so abandoned.

The good news is Jesus understands what it is like to feel forsaken or forgotten or abandoned or betrayed.  Jesus understands when we are desperate for a connection with another person or with our Heavenly Father.  Jesus understands when the Lord’s silence is excruciating and the answers to my prayers seem to be withheld.  When I feel forgotten and forsaken, it helps to remember Jesus understands what I am experiencing.

When Jesus is gasping for His last few breathes of life, He utters a prayer from Psalm 22.  In Matthew 27:46 we hear;  “And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

It is interesting that the prayer which Jesus prays just before He dies was written several hundred years earlier by David.  Like you and me and Jesus, David also knew what it was like to feel forsaken and forgotten and abandoned. 

David’s prayer in Psalm 22:1-2 begins; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?  O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night but find no rest.”

In the seasons when I have felt forgotten and forsaken or abandoned and betrayed, my prayers often become more frequent and fervent…almost constant, always intense, and usually expectant.  David says he was praying and pleading with the Lord God to reveal His presence and love all day and all night.  In Psalm 22:1 David prays; “Why are you so far from helping me…”

Like David, I have questioned why Jesus does not help me.  Like Jesus, I have cried out for the presence of my Heavenly Father.  Like David, I have groaned and moaned under the distress.  Like Jesus, I have renewed my resolve to fulfill God’s calling for me.  Like David, I have prayed and pleaded.  Like Jesus, I have waited for an answer…sometimes patiently!

David reminds us there is good news for those who love the Lord God with all their heart, mind, and soul.  In Psalm 37:25 David writes; “I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”  Through all the ups and downs of life and love, David has not seen those who love the Lord God forgotten or forsaken by the Lord God.

David is not naïve about life and faith; he knows life is sometimes a struggle and our faith sometimes drifts.  What David offers those who feel forgotten or forsaken or abandoned or betrayed is a word of encouragement. 

Whether we hear an answer to our prayers or not, whether we feel the Lord God’s presence or not, whether we are assured of the Lord God’s ability to love or not, the Lord God will in His time and in His way answer our prayers, reveal His presence again, and assure us of his unconditional love and acceptance.  David says; “I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”

It is interesting that David offers an alternative to our experience of feeling forgotten and forsaken.  In verse 25, David first acknowledges there are times when people feel forgotten or forsaken.  In verse 26, he then contrasts how the righteous respond to those feelings.  In Psalm 37:26 David writes; “They (the righteous!) are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.”

When I feel forgotten and forsaken or abandoned and alone, I am encouraged to respond with practical expressions of generosity.  David had learned that our acts of generosity remind us of the goodness and grace and generosity of the Lord God.  We also find joy in being generous to other people.

In II Corinthians 9:7 the Apostle Paul writes; “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

+If you are feeling forgotten, forsaken, or alone right now, find a way to express your generosity to another person. 

+If you are feeling abandoned, alone, or betrayed right now, find a way to share your generosity with another person. 

+If your prayers are going unanswered, the Lord God is oddly silent, or your hope is growing smaller, find a way to offer a generous gift to the Lord God through a church.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus loves us and will fill our heart, mind, and soul with joy when we are generous.  The Holy Spirit’s gift of joy is the enemy of our feelings of being forgotten and forsaken.

Reflect

Do you struggle with feeling forgotten or forsaken by the Lord God?  Are you having frequent conversations with Jesus about how you feel and why you feel the way you do?  How could you engage in an act of generosity for another person?  How could you express your generosity to the Lord God?

Pray

Lord God, I admit I feel you are distant from me right now.  I don’t know if it is something I have done or something someone else has done.  I am praying my heart out.  I am waiting to hear from You, waiting for You to do something for me, waiting for You to reveal your power and presence in my life.  And yet, I am not hearing Your Word, I am not confident of your love, I am not sure you will help.  Reassure me in ways that my assurance of your love and your help will grow stronger in me.  I pray in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Act

First, write down why you feel forgotten or forsaken or abandoned.  Second, write a prayer describing how you feel and what you need from Jesus.  Third, pray your prayer three times a day for the next 21 days.  Fourth, do an act of generosity for another person each day for the next 21 days.