Sæktu forritiðI Feel AbandonedSýnishorn
When does God abandon and reject people?
Total and final abandonment by God only occurs after death at the final judgment. The door to mercy remains open until death. “The one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out” (John 6:37; NASB2020).
After death, there will come the final abandonment for those who remained unrepentant. This abandonment is not a random, impulsive, or emotional decision on God's part; it is based on a judicial process. Jesus, as the Righteous Judge, declares, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:23; ESV).
While we are still alive, God can withdraw His active blessing, guidance, or protection. This typically occurs when people persist in sin, reject the truth, harden their hearts, and refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit, or when they reject Him as Lord and Saviour.
At times, people demand that God grant them certain things, and when He does, they reap what they have sown and experience the consequences of their sin. “They put God to the test in the desert; He gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them” (Psalm 106:14-15; ESV).
God disciplines people, but this discipline should not be seen as rejection. In Psalm 81:11-12 (ESV), we read how God disciplined Israel: “He gave them over to their stubborn hearts.”
Sometimes, God is severe in His judgment and warnings. He is not to be “toyed” with, and we must not tempt Him. We must understand the goodness of God without making light of His severity: “See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too will be cut off” (Romans 11:22; NASB2020).
The Bible teaches us not to resist, lie to, or quench the Holy Spirit, as the consequences can be severe. It is only after a period of Godly long-suffering that God ultimately rejects and abandons: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9; NASB2020).
About this Plan
To feel abandoned is an increasingly common emotion among people. These feelings cause much pain and confusion in people. The focus of this reading plan is to help Christians understand their feelings of abandonment and what to do about them.
More
