“For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you.”
(Isaiah 54:7, ESV)
Many years ago, we used to vacation at the Jersey shore. These were some of the most relaxing of our summer vacations. However, they were not without some interesting experiences.
One hot summer day we were all sitting out on the beach. The beach was crowded that day, with little empty beach space. While we were sitting there relaxing in the sun my two-year-old daughter decided to talk a stroll down the beach. We told her to stay with us, but she took off walking anyway. As a father I was quite concerned about her. So, I got up and tagged along. However, I followed her at a distance, never letting her out of my sight, and always close enough to rescue her if needed. She actually walked a lot further than I thought she would, some 300 – 400 yards or so. When she stopped and looked around, she did not see me. Seeing only people she did not know she became frightened. She believed that she was lost and abandoned. It was at this moment that I ran up to her and she jumped into my arms.
You will remember that the nation had walked away from the Lord, taking their eyes off Him and looking after idols and their own strength. They went in their own direction. As a result, the Lord permitted foreign nations to conquer and deport them. Assyria defeated the Northern Kingdom in 722BC and Babylon captured Jerusalem and began the deportation of the Southern Kingdom’s inhabitants in 597BC. However, this did not catch God off guard. While the passage says He deserted them, He had His eye upon the nation the entire time. Here in context the word deserted implies that He left the nation alone. The Lord left the nation alone for a moment and it was for a purpose, much the same way I had left my daughter alone as she walked down the beach under my watchful eye.
There are times in our lives when we may feel abandoned, times when we think that God has left us. We may be amid a trial, we may be trying to get direction from the Lord, or for a variety of other reasons we may just not sense His nearness to us. In these moments we wonder if God has abandoned us. Well though it may seem this way He has not abandoned us. He tells us that He never leaves us or forsakes us. In these moments it is our perception that is off. The Lord is near. We just cannot see Him. Remember that the Lord has a purpose for us even in these feelings of abandonment. Many times these feelings will come in order to get us to stop from our own efforts and to look for Him. His word tells us that we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Perhaps the great lesson that the Lord is driving into our hearts during the times when we feel abandoned is to keep our eyes on Him all the time and to stay near to Him. This was the big lesson I was trying to give to my daughter to stay near to us on the beach. This is the big lesson that God was teaching the nation of Israel. It is the big lesson that He works to teach each one of us as believers. When you feel He is distant He is likely trying to teach you something. In these times remember that He is near. In these times stop and seek Him with a whole heart and He will make His presence known to you.
Renewing the Heart 