God Hasn't Forgotten You

Imagine this: A man, hunger-stricken and fearful for his own life, dashes through the wilderness in an attempt to save his life from an evil queen who vows to destroy him. Sweat rolls down his brow and fear pulses through every step he takes. All he can remember is the vow that the evil queen made, that she asks the gods to kill her if she does not kill him by the end of the day.

About a day’s journey in, he is starving and hungry. He stops by a broom tree, the branches barely sheltering him from the hot sun. Words come from his mouth in desperation, begging God to kill him. When nothing happens, he curls up in exhaustion and falls into a restless sleep.

He awakes to a cold realization that he is still alive. But even more--he feels the touch of a hand on his garment. Turning slowly, warily--for it may be someone sent by the evil queen--it turns out to be an angel, bathed in shining light.

The angel speaks the words, “arise and eat.”

His eyes fall upon a cake baked on coals, and a jar filled with water before him. Could this be a trap?

Seeing only reassurance from the angel, he eats and drinks, then falls again into a restful sleep.

Again, this happens a second time. That time, however, he is able to continue on his journey. Miraculously, the food is able to sustain him for forty days and forty nights.

This is what happened to the prophet Elijah. He had probably forgotten all about the task God set him to do. He was probably frustrated that God hadn’t answered his prayer and killed him. He was probably fearful for his life.

He probably thought God had forgotten all about him.

But He didn’t.

How many times do we do this, friends? How many times do we forget that God is constantly watching over us? How many times do we get frustrated after hearing only silence after an “amen”? How many times do we directly think God’s forgotten all about me and wonder why He feels so far away?

I know I’ve done it plenty of times.

But the truth is, God hasn’t forgotten about any of us. He never once leaves us. Even when He feels distant, know that He is right there beside you. He promises to be with us even in the trials and tribulations. He promises to be near to the brokenhearted and close to the crushed in spirit.

And, as Elijah found out, God hadn’t forgotten about him.

Even when no money automatically shows up on your doorstep, even when a friend makes no attempt to rebuild the relationship, know that God sees you.

Even more than that: He cares.

Instead of thinking why have you forgotten about me, God? Thank Him for seeing you and caring.

And sometimes, when your prayers aren’t answered, know that it’s all in His timing. He will answer, even though you might wonder when. We are almost always looking for “instant” things in this day and age, which can be a cripple at times--it tends to make us want everything immediately, and lose heart in hoping for things in the future.

If God still hasn’t answered your prayers. . .maybe it’s Him trying to show you to be patient. The only way to know is to ask Him.

The point is, either way, He still sees you and hasn’t forgotten about you. He promised never to leave you nor forsake you.

And one day, you’ll see God’s master plan unfold.

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Have you ever felt that God has forgotten about you? Have you ever felt that He doesn’t care? I hope this article helped encourage you, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!