I was listening to a podcast on the treadmill this morning. The guest was a Christian therapist and she was talking about abandonment–how we all have faced it, experienced it, and suffered because of it. The pain of rejection is real and part of our human condition.  Whether we’ve been abandoned by a parent, a spouse, or a dear friend, the hurt and heartbreak that comes with it can stay with us for years.

Perhaps you have recently gone through a divorce or watched your children leave home one by one. Or maybe your aging parent is experiencing health issues and you’re having to step in and be the caregiver. The table has turned and your steady guide, your voice of reason and comfort through your challenging times is suddenly unavailable.

These changing seasons can feel so lonely and difficult to navigate. Maybe you’ve questioned God’s presence in these times and have felt abandoned by Him too.

Even Jesus questioned God’s faithfulness as He hung on the cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He knew he would be temporarily separated from God as he bore the sins of the world, and the alienation was torture.

But God never leaves us. On the contrary, He is right there with us. In the middle of the despair and desertion, the agony and the anguish He walks with us. We might feel absent from His presence, but it’s not the case. The psalmist David says, “Where can I go from your Spirit and where can I flee from your presence?” He knew God’s omnipresent nature was not capable of abandoning him.

As Moses passed the baton to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31, he encouraged the Israelites, “God will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Moses had been with them for forty years, but his time of leadership ended. After all they had been through, he wouldn’t enter the promised land with these people. That had to be tough.

This life can be heavy…sin happens, friendships fade, marriages end, and kids grow up. But in all of it, God never abandons us. The ones we thought would be nearest and dearest to our hearts forever, may leave us.

But He is closer still.

“Persecuted, but not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:9