Text: Psalm 51:10
March 30th, 2008
Disconnected
Have you ever felt disconnected from God? Have you ever wondered if He was really there? Have you felt lost, alone and wondered if God was really listening? Why is it that if God desires a relationship with us so badly that it can seem so hard to connect with Him? Have you ever wondered if God really cares at all? If He really wants you? Have you ever felt like you were searching and searching for God but couldn’t find Him? Like you were desperately seeking Him but that He was no where to be found? Have you ever felt disconnected from God?
If you would open your Bibles to Psalm 22. When you feel isolated and lost, you are not alone. Everyone has felt this way. Some of us feel it right now. We all feel disconnected at some point. We all feel like we are lost in this world trying to find our place. The truth is when you are lost, you are in good company.
Think about Noah. The world had become corrupt and wicked and Noah alone found favor in God’s sight. As Noah built his ark don’t you think there were times where he felt lost? It may have taken up to 100 years to build this enormous boat. Don’t you think there were times where he was unsure? While all the people he knew thought he was crazy. While everyone mocked and ridiculed him don’t you think there were times when he questioned…when he felt alone. Don’t you think there was probably a time when Noah felt a little bit disconnected?
Think about Abraham? He was called by God to leave his home and go to a strange land far away. He lived as a hermit in tents not knowing where he was going. As he traveled through this strange country don’t you think Abraham felt lost…felt alone from time to time. He was moving away from his home and everyone he knew because God had called him to do so. Certainly there were times in Abraham’s life where he felt lost and alone. God had promised Abraham that he would have many descendents but at that time Abraham had no children. Don’t you think there were times when Abraham wondered? Don’t you think there were times that he worried God had forgotten about him? Don’t you think Abraham at some point felt disconnected from God?
Or what about Joseph? He was Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph had a dream that he would rule over his brothers. Instead he found himself sold into slavery in the land of Egypt. Certainly this did not seem like God’s plan. Having been sold into slavery Joseph might have felt a little lost, a little disconnected. He ends up working for a man named Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him but Joseph leaves. As a result of which he is thrown into prison. He did the right thing and was punished for it. Certainly at this point while rotting away in an Egyptian jail Joseph would have started to feel a bit lost. He might start to wonder if God was really going to take care of him, if God was really looking out for him. Joseph had done nothing wrong yet he had been sold as a slave by his brothers and imprisoned because he was faithful and would not sleep with his master’s wife. Certainly Joseph felt lost. Certainly he felt alone. Can you imagine sitting in a cold dark damp prison having done nothing wrong? Can you imagine what Joseph might start thinking? God, what did I do to deserve this? Why are you so angry with me? Why do you punish me so? I imagine there were many times in Joseph’s life where he felt disconnected.
You see you are not the first person to feel out of touch. You are not the first person to feel like you don’t belong, like something isn’t right. You are not the first person to feel alone…and when you feel alone, sometimes it helps just to know that there are others who feel the same way. We all have times in our lives where we feel disconnected from God. We all have times where we wonder if He is really listening. Everyone has fears, everyone has doubts, everyone at some point, feels lost and alone. Let’s look at Psalm 22.
Ps 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? Ps 22:2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. Ps 22:3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. Ps 22:4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. Ps 22:5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. Ps 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. Ps 22:7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: Ps 22:8 “He trusts in the LORD? let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Ps 22:9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. Ps 22:10 From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Ps 22:11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Ps 22:12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Ps 22:13 Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. Ps 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. Ps 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Ps 22:16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. Ps 22:17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. Ps 22:18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. Ps 22:19 But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
David was a man after God’s own heart. He was perhaps the single greatest king in the history is Israel. Look at David’s life. He was an ordinary shepherd boy, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. He is anointed by God through the prophet Samuel to be the king of Israel. But he cant become king yet. David then became one of Saul servants. He played the harp and soothed Saul’s spirit. He was a faithful servant and friend to Saul. Then David became a hero. This little boy slays a giant. When all of the other soldiers are afraid, when all the seasoned warriors of Israel are terrified David boldly walks out to fight and he slays Goliath. God blessed everything that David did and he was successful every mission he took. David becomes known as this fierce warrior and the people begin to praise him. Saul who is still king becomes jealous and tries to kill David. David is forced to flee for his life. He is made an enemy of the state and Saul’s armies hunt for him. In all of this over the years that David was running for his life don’t you think he had some questions? Don’t you think David was a bit confused? Don’t you think he might have felt a bit isolated from God? David was forced to hide throughout the countryside after having been anointed as king. Can you imagine what was going on in his head? Every night David would wonder: why? God I don’t understand why? Why is this happening? Why are you doing this to me? Why do I have to go through this? I thought you said I would be king…David is running for his life. He didn’t do anything to Saul. He was faithful to Saul in everything and still his life was threatened. I would imagine that somewhere in there David felt a little disconnected from God. Perhaps it is in this time, when David is running that David pens Psalm 22. “My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” Have you ever felt like that? My guess is you have. I’d bet every single one of us has said this at some point or another in our lives.
It is in our fallen nature to pull away from God. Do you know what Psalm 22 is really about? It is not about David though he is writing. David may have felt this way, but look at what Psalm 22 describes: The person being described here is being mocked by men. They are hurling insults at him. He is encircled by evil men and his strength is dried up. They have pierced his hands and his feet. They are dividing his garments by casting lots. Does this remind you of anything? This is not a visual description of anything that we know of happening in David’s life. It might be his poetic way to describe how he is feeling with some of the events in his life, but this is a visual description of what happens to Jesus. His hands and feet are pierced, He is mocked by those around Him, He is surrounded by evil men, and Jesus even says on the cross: “My God my God why have you forsaken me?” Jesus felt this same disconnection from God that each and every one of us feels. It is in this moment, through this feeling of disconnection that Jesus experiences what is it to be fully human. This isolation, this feeling of God forsaking you, comes from a realization that at this present time, God is not with you. For Jesus, He felt this when He took on the sins of man. Jesus felt forsaken, abandoned, disconnected from God when the sins of the world rested on His shoulders. It is sin that separates us from God. It is sin that keeps us from Him.
Everybody feels disconnected from God at some point. But why? Why do we feel alone? Why does this happen? God desires a relationship with us, why can’t we just stay connected?
Sometimes we feel disconnected because we fill our lives with so much that we just do not have time for God. In our culture we fill up every free moment that we have to make sure there is never a time where we have nothing to do. From the moment we open our eyes, to the moment we close them at night we are doing things. We are so active with work, food, chores, projects, school, family, friends, entertainment, and any other things we add to the mix that we don’t have room in our day for God.
Other times we feel disconnected because we don’t want God to be God. If God is in control of our lives that means that we aren’t. We feel disconnected from God because we are trying to run the show ourselves. We put God in the backseat of our car while we drive and we try to turn the Sovereign Lord into a glorified GPS. But there is not turn left at temptation, turn right at short temper directions on the GPS. We want God to keep us from any pain, or suffering, or hardship without telling us where to God or taking control of the wheel. We want to all the great promises that God makes us without having to give Him control of lives. Heaven sounds great, let’s go. I’ll just drive and you make sure we get there…but I’m only going to listen to you when you know, I feel like it. We are unwilling to give up control of our lives. God is not your navigator. He is not here to sit in the back and help you out with directions when the path that you have chosen leads you no where. If you want to get where God wants to take you then you have to let God be the driver. He can take you to where you want to go, but you have to be willing to give Him control. You have to surrender yourself to Him. You have to let Him take the wheel and drive…because only He knows how to get where you want to be.
There are times in our lives where we will feel disconnected because we have an enemy who is hell bent on keeping us from building this relationship with God. Other times we isolate ourselves because it is easier to feel alone than it is to feel the pain of our mistakes and shortcomings.
Sometimes we feel disconnected from God because we are all imperfect people. Each and every one of us sins and that keeps us from God. When we feel disconnected from God it is because we walk away. God has not moved. He did not leave. He did not desert us. He is standing right where we left Him. It is our sin and our rejection of Him that has separated us from Him. There are many reasons we might feel disconnected, but God is still there.
But there may be another reason. Sometimes we feel disconnected from God because we do not see what God is doing in our lives. We feel out of touch or out of place because we do not understand God’s plan. Look back at these OT heroes who may have felt disconnected. Look at what they did: Noah survived the flood when the rest of man kind was wiped out Noah and his family kept mankind alive. Through Noah the world was saved. Look at Abraham he may not have had children at the time, but he would, and his descendents number greater than the stars. Joseph’s dream came true. He did rule over his brothers. What is more the people of Israel God’s chosen people survived a terrible famine because Joseph was sold into slavery, went to prison, and ended up an advisor to Pharaoh. You see it? David did become king. He became the greatest king in the history of Israel. He was a man after God’s own heart. He ruled for many years, and would be remember for thousands more. When these men felt disconnected, it was because they did not fully realize what God was going to do with them. So perhaps if you feel disconnected it is not because God is not there…but because you don’t know what He is doing in your life.
There are many reasons we can feel disconnected. Many reasons we might not see God in our lives. But if we can learn to trust in God through it…if we can learn to turn Psalm 22 into Psalm 63:
Ps 63:1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Ps 63:2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Ps 63:3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. Ps 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. Ps 63:5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Ps 63:6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. Ps 63:8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
We might just learn to see, just how active God is in our lives. In the end when we feel isolated and alone, it is not because God is gone, but because we do not see Him.
INVITATION
