Impossible to Forget

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Someone was shaking me and talking so loudly. Slowly, I came out of the canyon of deep, uninterrupted sleep. Except someone was interrupting mine. As my mind became coherent, I could hear the woman saying, "Honey, your baby is crying. You need to feed her." Confused, I mumbled, "What baby?" Instantly, reality flooded back to me and I remembered that I had birthed a baby the evening before. She was crying and I had not even heard her let alone remembered I had her. Just hours after birth, if she'd been aware of what was happening, she would have felt forgotten and abandoned.

The 14th Chapter of Acts is my reading for today. The chapter opens with Paul and Barnabas beginning to minister in Iconium through the Jewish synagogue. They see immediate results from their labor as both Jews and Gentiles respond to the message. Once again, the Jewish heads stir the people against them and they narrowly escape a plot to stone them by fleeing to Lystra. (Verses 1-7)

In Lystra, Paul continues to preach and during one sermon he heals a man lame from birth. This leads the crowd to mistakenly believe that Paul and Barnabas are two of the Greek gods of old, Hermes and Zeus. They want to make sacrifices to their newly found "gods", and it is only with a great deal of convincing that Paul and Barnabas are able to dissuade them. In no time though, the pendulum of popularity has swung. With the Jews from Antioch and Iconium leading the charge, the multitude is incited to stone Paul and leave him for dead. (Verses 8-19)

Undeterred, Paul continues on to Derbe where the gospel is preached. From there, Paul winds his way back to Antioch, stopping along the way in various cities to encourage and strengthen the new believers. (Verses 20-28)

As I read this chapter, my heart ached for Paul. None more so though, than when he was left for dead (Verse 19). I wondered what was going through his mind. Did he feel abandoned, alone, scared and confused? There have been times in my life, when I felt abandoned by God. Indeed, there is no lonelier place to be. In those moments, my heart has been consumed with despair and sadness. I couldn't understand why God had allowed that circumstance into my life and why it felt like He had forgotten all about me.

When I have had days or seasons like that in my life, my only valid responses were to abandon my faith or cling to the truth of God's Word. Over time, I have gotten much better at doing the latter.

• I (God) will never leave you nor forsake you (Joshua 1:5)


• Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)


• For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Jesus, the next time life stones me and leaves me for dead, I will remember your promises to me. I will know that I have not been abandoned, that You never forget Your promises and that even there in my darkest place You are with me. Thank you for never leaving or forsaking me.