Deuteronomy 31:6 — Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

From time to time I exchange emails with people seeking to find God or get closer to Him. Today I answered a question from someone wanting to know if God had forsaken them.
I looked back on these devotions and was surprised to find that I have not been called to address this topic of feeling abandoned before. It’s something that every Christian I know seems to go through at some time or another. The Spanish poet, monk and mystic St. John of the Cross gave it a name — “The Dark Night of the Soul”.
As I meditated on this topic three pieces of scripture came to mind. The first is a reminder that there are certainly times when God may turn His face from us … for a moment …

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7-8)

My second text reinforces that thought of the Lord’s faithfulness:

For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. (1 Samuel 12:22)

Let me delay my third text for a moment, and return to John of The Cross.
In a Lenten season it seems appropriate to reflect on the monk’s idea that the soul must pass through a personal experience of Christ’s passion in a period of fear and uncertainty and even doubts of God — but there is a promise that on the other side is a wonderful fellowship with God.
This idea to me is related to the notion that, in the end, there is nothing we can cling to but our faith. We may easily let go of possessions, we may even let go of our relationships, but can we let go of even the comfort of our security?
Back then, to my last text. Here is that final reassurance that we are never, really, abandoned.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:3-6)

Even the desert times are part of the finishing process. We are never, ever, forsaken.