Do you ever question if God remembers you? I know I have. Let’s talk about what our response should be when we feel this way.
There have been several times in my life when I have been at a place where I would question if God remembered me.
I remember being in second grade and sleeping in an attic bedroom. I felt alone, scared, and disconnected from my mom, stepfather, and my brother—my father’s biological child.
I remember being in sixth grade and feeling too chubby and awkward for anyone to like me. I wondered if I could ever capture a guy’s attention, a guy’s heart.
I remember being a senior in high school, but instead of being at school I was sitting at home depressed and pregnant. My boyfriend already had a new girlfriend. I wondered if there would ever me a man who would love me and my child.
And during each of those times I prayed.
I prayed to belong.
I prayed to be chosen.
I prayed to be worthy of a life-long commitment.
I’d forgotten about those times until just this morning when I read in Bible about Joseph locked in prison. Joseph hadn’t done anything wrong. God had even granted him the ability to interpret the dreams of the chief bake and cup-bearer. Joseph only asked for one thing: not to be forgotten. He simply wanted the man whom he helped to remember him and offer help in return. But it didn’t happen.
“Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought,” Genesis 4:23 (NLT).
Joseph may have felt forgotten for a time, but God remembered Him. God knew exactly where He was. God was with Him, and when the season of Joseph’s kingdom-service came, God helped the chief cup-bearer to remember him, too, and within days Joseph went from prison cell to palace seat.
Do you feel forgotten? Do you question if God remembers you? He does!
Have you prayed to belong? Have you prayed to be chosen? Have you prayed for a spouse, a child, or a long-desired dream? People may forget. You may have pushed your prayers to the back of your mind, but God remembers.
We have to trust God even when we feel forgotten:
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT)
And in your waiting, also have the faith to look ahead:
“The time will come,” says the Lord,
“when the grain and grapes will grow faster
than they can be harvested.
Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel
will drip with sweet wine! Amos 9:13
Do you feel forgotten? God remembers.
Do you feel alone? God remembers.
Do you feel that someone who should be on your side isn’t giving you another thought? God is there.
Keep turning to Him. Keep praying. In the right moment God’s timing will come and His purpose will be displayed. You will enjoy a harvest of blessings in a way you couldn’t have experienced unless you’d walked through the silent days.
Now how about you? When is a time that you felt forgotten? How did God show up?
~Tricia
You might also like:
