Question What do you do when you feel that the Lord has abandoned you?

A question:

Another question. What do you do when you feel that the Lord has abandoned you? (I think it’s better when to give such a question Don’t use you. You may say, what may a person do when he feels so and so? Sorry for correcting the question. At any rate,) what do a person do when he feels that the Lord has abandoned him? ^[1]

The Answe

The Lord doesn’t abandon any person. The correct question may be said that we abandoned God, not God abandoned us. The of God doesn’t change. Doesn’t change. Sometimes we feel that we are abandoned by God. When we feel that the help of God doesn’t come so quickly as we want. When God waits for a long time. As for example, our father Abraham was given a promise to have a son. 25 years passed and he didn’t have a son. Not because his God abandoned him, but because a suitable time didn’t come yet. Then when that suitable time came, he was given a son. Not only a normal son, but a very excellent one, that he is Isaac.

Secondly, we may think that God abandoned us. When we perceive the results of our sins or faults, it may not be the result of God leaving us, but the result of that we ourselves left God and we are receiving the bad results of our sins. Once a person said to me, I was in need of a job. And I applied for a certain job. And he said to me, I said the Lord’s Prayer, Our Father which art in heaven, one thousand times. But I didn’t receive the job. Not because God abandoned him. He said to me, after a certain time, I was appointed in a better job. And I said to myself, if my prayers were accepted for the previous job, I would not be happy. Sometimes, God may not give you your request, because he is keeping a better thing for you in the future.

And you say,or:h God why you abandon me. He says, no, I am not abandoning you. I am preparing for you a better future.

And this happens also in marriage. A girl may prepare for such a person. A certain person may be her own, and her requests may not be fulfilled.

And afterwards, she may be given a husband who is far better than the one for whom she prayed in the past. But in spite of this, I am sorry to say, that David, the prophet, may said many times, Oh God, why? I read for you some of the complaints of David. He gives an idea about the feeling of the spirit, whether good or wrong. For example, I give one example. Psalm Chapter 10. Psalm 10.

He is saying, “Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Excuse me, my great prophet David. God is not hiding. God is doing the best for you, but you don’t see what God is doing for you. So, you think that he is standing afar, that he is hiding himself during the troubles. It’s only the feelings of the soul. Sometimes you have the same feelings of David. But God may say to us, don’t be afraid. I am not keeping myself afar. I am not hiding myself. I am working for you. Perhaps you don’t see what I am doing, because you have eyes which not see. But afterwards you will see the result.

For David himself. David was persecuted by Saul, the king. Perhaps he felt that he was abandoned by God, that God kept afar. But God was preparing David through these troubles to be more strong, to be more solid. Not leaving him. As for example, when a person is trainee, have training in swimming. When a father may call his son and teach him, and then he leaves him, tries to move. If he is in danger, he returns to him. But leaving him may give him a chance to learn how to swim.

^{[1] A Question Answered by His Holiness Pope Shenouda in a Sermon Entitled “Be holy as I am holy – Youth Meeting” Dated: November 22, 2002}