Read: Psalm 118
When we are going through a dark phase in our life, we might feel that there is no one to hear us. Even God appears to be distant. But that is not the case. God is always with us. He has promised us, “Never will I leave you, nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). Even if we have faced abandonment from our family members or near and dear ones, God will take care of us. David was the youngest among his family members. His three older brothers were serving in King Saul’s army. They had the status, but David was considered to be the one to take care of the sheep. He was considered as the son who did errands like taking food to his older brothers in the battlefield (1 Sam. 17:17). His father Jesse failed to acknowledge him initially when the prophet Samuel asked if there was one more son (1 Sam. 16:11) and did not bring him to the place where the sacrifice was being offered (1 Sam. 16:5-10). David seemed to have no important place in his family. Although David faced abandonment, God had a miraculous plan for his life. God anointed David to be the king of Israel. He gave him the strength and confidence to trust in God alone. David wrote, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me” (Ps. 27:10).
Sometimes our friends might abandon us in times of need. David faced a similar situation. A friend whom David trusted conspired against him. David wrote, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 41:9). David faced abandonment and fear for his life from his own family members. King Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to another person (Palti) while David was still the husband (1 Sam. 25:44). King Saul pursued to kill David several times. David’s son Absalom started a rebellion against his father David, wanting to be the king (2 Sam. 15) and defiled his father’s ten concubines (2 Sam. 16:22).
Though David faced abandonment from all sides, he was not discouraged. He firmly believed that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble” (Ps. 46:1). David firmly believed that “It is better to trust in God than to depend on man” (Ps. 118:8). If you are facing abandonment, cry out to God, He will answer your prayers (Ps. 118:5). “Cast your burdens to the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Ps. 55:22).
