Feeling of Abandonment By God

I have come to understand that mystery is something that is more experienced through the emotions than it is comprehended with the mind.  Mysteries are like love, they are not meant to be solved, but rather are meant to be lived into.  They are experienced from the inside, not comprehended from the outside. 

In mystery, we sometimes must come to endure stress and a lack of peace in our lives.  We know that God loves us and cares for us, but we also know that the pulls and tugs of daily life sometime weigh us down.  How do we make it through these trials and tribulations?  There is a blessing for those who hold fast in spite of difficulty; in spite of not having an answer to the question of “why?”.  There is blessing for those who respond with trust.

Tragedies challenge us.  We ask why, knowing we will not be given the answer to that question.  It is a mystery.  We know that he is forever faithful, but, from our perspective there seem to be gaps in that faithfulness.  This sentiment seems very familiar to that expressed by the ancient Jewish people in their unending saga of falling in and out of grace with God.

In the lament of the Jewish people over their experience of war and famine they cried, “Have you cast Judah off completely?  Is Zion loathsome to you?  Why have you struck us a blow that cannot be healed?”

And again they said: “Will the Lord never again be favorable?  Has his steadfast love ceased?  Are his promises at an end?  Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”

Don’t we sometimes feel like that?  I think sometimes we do.  But, what should be our response?  We can listen attentively to what God wants, we can ponder what we do not understand, and we can ask about what we do not know.  Then, we can give ourselves over completely to doing the divine will.