I don’t think anyone reading this post can deny that there have been times in life when you haven’t felt like God’s forgotten you. I know I have. I’ve been thinking a lot about suffering and pain lately, and so this question does come up. Has God forgotten the person who’s hurting? Is he there for them?
We’re not the only ones asking this question, and I think you can guess where the majority of the questions are found. Right, the Psalms.
Where is God when we need justice.
It is hard to look at our world today and not have some questions. The writer of the tenth Psalm struggled with the same thing, which reminds us there’s nothing new under the sun. The arrogance of the wicked was shocking to the writer, and he tells us why:
In all his scheming, the wicked person arrogantly thinks, “There’s no accountability, since there’s no God.” His ways are always secure; your lofty judgments have no effect on him; he scoffs at all his adversaries. He says to himself, “I will never be moved—from generation to generation I will be without calamity.” (Psalm 10:4-6 CSB)
Wow, that could have been written in 2025. Those who seemingly pay no price for their sin carry on in their evil ways because they think they are forgotten by God.
He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he hides his face and will never see.” (Psalm 10:11)
So, it’s not the righteous who thinks God has forgotten them, but the unrighteous. They think God’s just written them off, so they continue on in a downward spiral and false sense of upside-down security.
But God does see the way of the wicked and has not forgotten those they oppress.
But you yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into your hands. The helpless one entrusts himself to you; you are a helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked, evil person, until you look for his wickedness, but it can’t be found. (Psalm 10:14-15)
God will have the final word on the matter. He will help the oppressed and fatherless, and he will work on the wicked until they come to repentance or ultimately final acknowledgement that he is God alone. Justice is guaranteed under the eye of a Just God.
David had this same struggle.
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? (Psalm 13:1-2)
In this short psalm, he cries out to the Lord. He’s full of anxiety and agony, but by the end, he confesses his trust in God’s faithful love. He lives in the hope that his heart will rejoice in the deliverance God will bring.
Where is God when we grieve?
Psalm 42 is an emotional psalm, as the writer conveys his intense grief and loss. He’s in so much distress, that those around him ask, “Where is your God?” He is no longer that person who used to rejoice and serve God with a cheerful heart and voice. His soul is utterly dejected. Even as he encourages himself to remain hopeful in God, he can’t help but question if God is there at all.
I will say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” (Psalm 42:9)
This is the struggle of every believer. We are hurting and it seems as if God has forgotten us, and yet, we know we are to put our hope in God and praise him.
This is where we get some help from another psalmist, Asaph. He too felt grief and wondered if God has forgotten his people.
“Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor? Has his faithful love ceased forever? Is his promise at an end for all generations? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah (Psalm 77:7-9)
Can we find God’s grace in times of trial?
When God seems far off and we think he’s forgotten us in our pain, I have often known his presence through the simple graces he allows me to see and experience. It can be as simple as a card from a friend or sunshine after a time of dreary weather, or it can be the impact of an unexpected visitor and the persevering presence of a friend.
The psalmist found God’s grace in remembering his goodness in past events. Painful experiences seem to cut us off from past and future, suspending us in this twilight zone of darkness. When we can’t see the future, we can look back at the past and find hope in remembering all God’s blessings to this point in our lives. That is when we remember that what he has done, he will continue to do.
So I say, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions. (Psalm 77:10-12)
The God who walked on the water is the same God who does not forget us in the storms of our lives.
It only seems like God forgets.
I’m grateful that what we feel is not always reality. God does not forget us, and he tells us so.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15)
If you’re sitting in the midst of a storm and wondering if God has forgotten you, don’t lose hope. He is there with you, walking on the water to save you, and will restore you safely to the other side. Remember his goodness past, look for grace in the present, and rest in the hope of what he promises will come.
Grace and Peace
If you missed the last Friday Focus post, click HERE, or start from the Beginning.