Did He Forget Me?

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.

Hebrews 6:10-11

It's hard not to think that He forgot you when you see things working out for others and not working out (the way you had planned or hoped) for you. This thought does not make you a bad person, it does not even making you a bad believer. It makes you human. It can be so hard to see the brokenness of the world and the struggle, and then it is even harder to feel like you're living in that brokenness and struggle directly. So did He forget you? When He was blessing others. When He was answering prayers. Not even close. But depression and anxiety might make you feel that way.

Let's remember though, feelings aren't facts. And, thoughts are just an interpretation of things happening around you. You can have hundreds of thoughts about a single situation. And those thoughts lead to certain feelings. And those thoughts and feelings lead to certain actions. It's easy to get caught up in this triangular style of living. It's easy to forget that outside that triangle is actually where He is. Don't get me wrong, He's with you in this triangular pattern, but He's also just outside of it holding space for the truth. Because the truth is, He did not forget you. Even when it feels like that. Even when you're thoughts say that He did. And even when you start acting like He has. The truth is, He's right there.

Isaiah 41:10 says: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. In the moments that the automatic thought is "He forgot me," remember that He is with you. He is upholding you in that moment. He might not take that thought away, He might not even make things better right now. But He is with you in the moment. Going through this might be difficult, but know that it is equally difficult for Him to see you hurting. He does hurt with you when you hurt. And He is not keeping things from you (your unanswered prayers, your hopelessness, etc) because He does not want you to have them. The hard truth is, you don't know why He is keeping things from you, why He is answering the prayers in the manner that He is. He just is. And while it can be really hard, that is okay. He does not leave you in that hardness. He joins you in it. He says "no" and "I'll stay with you." Matthew 28:20 says: Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. This is when He was sending out the disciples. He tells them that He is with them, even when He also knows and tells them that times might be difficult ahead of them. He says this to you too. He knows that times might be difficult ahead for you and "I am with you always, to the end of the age." Depression and anxiety cannot keep Him from you. Depression and anxiety cannot make Him change His mind about you. The automatic thoughts that influence these negative experiences are not His truth. His promise is that He will be with you in it all, even when it is uncomfortable and not the way you wanted it to go. He has not forgotten you, He is right there with you in the feelings that you are having.

Depression and anxiety might create this cycle of thinking that leads to feeling forgotten. Catch that thought and challenge it. Is it true? Is it 100% true? So often in the moment you will want to answer yes to both of these questions, and when asking yourself it is 100% true, you might start to notice those little thoughts that say "well maybe not 100%." Ask yourself what your experience in this would be if you did not hold these thoughts and feelings to be absolutely true? Ask yourself what someone else would say about these thoughts and feelings? And ask yourself if there is even the slightest alternative thought and feeling? As you challenge this thought that He has forgotten you, you might not get the answer that you want. And that can be hurtful, it is okay to hurt. What I hope you find in asking yourself these questions though is His presence with you. I hope that you find that He is sitting in the hurt with you, in the unanswered prayers with you, in the hopelessness with you. Because He has not forgotten you when you have asked and it goes unanswered. He has not forgotten you when you have sought Him out and asked for something, all while seeing others get the things they have asked for. He has not forgotten you. You are important to Him. And there are just sometimes things that go without understanding, and unanswered prayers are one of the greatest mysteries. But it is not because He has forgotten you, He sees you, He hears you, He sits with you in every walk you have.

There is nothing you can do to make Him remember you more,

simply because He never forgot you in the first place.

Scripture:

Hebrews 6:10-11

Isaiah 41:10

Matthew 28:20

Questions:

How do you turn back to Him, who has not left you, when feeling forgotten?

What messages from the world might be highlighting feeling forgotten?

Who do you know that might be feeling this way and could use the reminder that He has not left them? How do you remind yourself that He has not left you?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I look to you in times of difficulty. In my unanswered prayers and my hopes and desires that go not as I planned. I know that you have a plan in it all, and most importantly that I am not forgotten when things do not go as I hoped. Lord, I hope that I can continue to see you beside me when feeling lost and that I can be reminded time and time again that you have not left me. Depression and anxiety might make me feel lost and forgotten, but you have said that you would not leave me, and I believe this to be true wholeheartedly. Thank you for giving me the reminders in your son, that you choose me. I pray for all others who struggle with these feelings that are real feelings and real experiences. I pray that in these moments others can see that you are real too. In your son's name, Amen.