Don’t Give Up on God

Are you broken or wounded? Has someone hurt you so deeply that you don’t know how to move forward? Maybe you even feel like giving up on God because you feel like He’s already given up on you.

Oh, precious soul, if I could take you in my arms and hug you today, I would. I would whisper that it’s going to be okay, that you’re going to get through this. I may not understand what you’re going through, what tragedies or suffering you dealt with in the past, but God does.

But maybe God is part of your pain. Maybe you believe that God is somehow a reflection of the cruelty of others, especially if you’ve been hurt by someone in the Church.

Unfortunately, there are times when His children, being human, fail to reflect His love and compassion. There are even those who claim to be Christians while lashing out at others. (When “Christians” Throw Stones.)

Please don’t take this out on God and walk away from Him.

I believe God is calling to you during this time of isolation and wants to heal your broken heart.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3 ESV.)

I believe in the depths of my spirit that this is the time He’s reaching out to you, through this post, through quiet times at home or in your backyard, through a word from someone you know.

He wants to take you in His arms and hold you. He jealously longs for you. He knows how people have failed you, how their words have cut into your heart, hardening it like scar tissue.

Please don’t turn away from Him.

I don’t know the “why” to your questions. I don’t know why you suffered or struggled, why you felt abandoned or hopeless. I don’t know why others hurt you the way they did.

But I can tell you I’ve been hurt too. And in the darkest moments of my life, when others struck me with the cruelest of words, turning their backs on me and abandoning me in my pain, God never left me.

He may have been quiet, but He was still there.

“For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.'” (Hebrews 13:5b NLT.)

I believe He was silent during those times because I was either shouting within my spirit and couldn’t hear Him over my pain, or He was quietly joining me in my suffering. (You know, those times when someone you love is suffering and the pain is so unbearable you can’t speak a word but instead you sit beside them hoping to bring them comfort. I believe God does that too.)

When you hurt, God hurts with you.

And I believe no matter how dark the storm, no matter how the waters rage, God will reach right through it all to grab onto you, to save you, to steady you until the storm passes.

Perhaps He will lift you from the storm, lifting you high above those things that are hurting you.

But maybe He won’t, instead choosing to pull you closer to Him as He endures the storm alongside of you, shielding you and singing to you so you’ll focus on Him instead of the howling winds.

You may consider giving up on God. Please don’t. Don’t give up on Him. He promises He will never give up on you. Never.

Come back to Him. Cry out to Him. Call upon Him. Whisper His name.

Jesus.

And He’s right there with you. Strong, solid, and forever. Loving you completely and helping you to move forward.

“God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master, Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.” (1 Corinthians 1:8-9 MSG, emphasis my own.)

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” (Luke 18:1 NLT, emphasis my own.)

“Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (Romans 8: 35, 37-39 MSG.)

 

(Photo from pexels.com.)