Friday Read: The Fear of Abandonment

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Jesus quoted Psalm 22 from the cross, crying out in the moment he experienced what we fear most - abandonment by God. For the first and only time in eternity, the Father turned away from the Son. Jesus experienced the full weight of divine abandonment so we would never have to. He was forsaken so we could be assured: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

Abandonment is our deepest fear. It starts young - a child crying in the dark, wondering if anyone will come. It develops through experience - a parent who left, a friend who ghosted, a spouse who walked away, a community that rejected you when you needed them most. Each abandonment teaches the same lesson: people leave. You can't trust anyone to stay.

This fear shapes how we relate to God. We assume he'll leave too. When we sin, we expect him to abandon us. When we fail, we brace for rejection. When we're struggling, we assume he's disgusted and distant. We project our experience with people onto our relationship with God, expecting the same pattern: "You'll love me until I disappoint you, then But God is not like everyone else. His promise isn't "I'll never leave you as long as you perform adequately" or "I'll stick around until you mess up too badly." It's unconditional: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Not "probably won't" or "as long as you're good" - never. Under no circumstances. In no situation. No matter what.

This is hard to believe because it contradicts all our experience. People always leave eventually - through death if not by choice, through distance if not by rejection, through change if not by abandonment. We've never experienced unconditional commitment from another person. Even the best relationships have limits. Parents die. Spouses leave. Friends move away. Every human relationship has an expiration date.

But God has no expiration date. He was there before you were born and will be there after you die. He was present in your worst moments even when you didn't acknowledge him. He stayed through every sin, every failure, every time you ignored him or rejected him or ran from him. His presence isn't dependent on your faithfulness - it's based on his character.

Paul asked: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35). He then answered his own question: nothing. Not death, not life, not angels, not demons, not present, not future, not any powers, not height, not depth, not anything in all creation (Romans 8:38-39). The list is comprehensive because Paul wanted zero ambiguity: NOTHING can separate you from God's love.

So when you feel abandoned - and you will feel it sometimes - remember: feelings aren't facts. Your emotion is real but your interpretation might be wrong. God's presence doesn't depend on your ability to feel it. He promised to never leave, and his promises don't fail even when your feelings say otherwise.