When Your Faith Meets Silence And Doubt
Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Left alone with your thoughts racing while your prayers seem to drift into a void of nothingness? This soul-deep silence can feel devastating, but it’s not new or unique to you. In fact, some of the greatest and most faithful people in history, including Jesus Himself, have walked through times like this!
Our focus today is on one of the most honest cries in the Bible, found in both Psalm 22:1 and echoed by Jesus on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
These words, spoken by David and Jesus himself, show us something important: that feeling far from God doesn’t mean we’ve failed in our faith.
If Jesus Himself expressed this feeling of abandonment, then our own moments of doubt and silence aren’t signs of spiritual weakness.
Why does God allow this haunting silence? And why would even Jesus, the Son of God, experience the deep feeling of being forsaken? Today, we’ll explore what God’s silence might mean, how it shapes us, and why your doubts in the dark don’t push God away; they might actually draw you closer to Him.
The Scripture
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Psalm 22:1 // Matthew 27:46
Breaking Down the Verse
Psalm 22 was written by King David during a time of great uncertainty and trouble. From his other writings, we know that he was being hunted by his enemies, betrayed but people he trusted, and he felt isolated and alone.
Many years later, Jesus said these very same words while dying on the cross. He’d been mocked and tortured, and his friends had fled. And even worse, He felt like His Father had left Him too. The Bible tells us that even the sky turned dark in the middle of the day as Jesus cried out!
What This Means For Us
When Jesus said these words, He wasn’t only talking about His own suffering and pain. He wanted to show us that He understands how we feel when we hurt and feel like God isn’t listening.
But more than that, by quoting Psalm 22, He was pointing us to the whole message given by David centuries before.
People of that time knew that David’s Psalm starts with sadness but ends with hope and praise. Jesus’s words were not a sign that He stopped believing in God but rather showed that He still trusted God, even in His most difficult time. Even in His darkest hour, He pointed His followers to scriptures to encourage them!
Faith in Action
Journaling Prompts
Affirmation
Even when God is silent, He is still there and working in my life.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for understanding my pain, my doubts, and even the times I feel completely alone. Just as Jesus cried out from the cross, I sometimes feel abandoned. Remind me that silence does not mean absence and that Your love for me remains even in the darkest moments.
Help me to trust You, even when I can’t feel You. Give me courage to bring my raw, honest heart before You. Remind me that my questions do not scare You. Draw me into deeper faith, one step at a time.
Today, I choose to believe that You are still with me, even in the silence. Help me find hope in the story of Jesus, who experienced ultimate loneliness so that I would never be truly alone.
Amen.
