When God Feels Absent

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Readings: Deuteronomy 5 | Psalm 44:13-26

Psalm 44:13-26 doesn’t pull punches. This is the second half of a psalm that starts with remembering God’s faithfulness and ends with crying out from what feels like abandonment. “You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.” The psalmist is saying what a lot of us think but rarely voice: “God, we did what You said, and now we’re getting crushed. What’s the deal?”

What’s striking is the claim of innocence: “All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant.” This isn’t the cry of backsliders getting what they deserve. These are faithful people suffering, and they’re confused about why God seems to be sleeping on the job. “Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?” That’s bold language, but it’s honest language, and Scripture makes room for it.

Here’s what this psalm does: it validates the experience of faithful suffering without offering cheap explanations. Sometimes bad things happen to godly people, and there’s no immediate answer to “why?” Sometimes God is doing things on timelines and for purposes we can’t see yet. The temptation is to manufacture explanations or to assume hidden sin, but this psalm says you can bring your confusion and pain directly to God without having to figure it all out first.

The connection to Deuteronomy 5 is subtle but important. Moses is recounting the Ten Commandments and the covenant (did you know the Big 10 appear twice in the Bible?!), emphasizing God’s direct communication and His jealous love for His people. But even covenant relationship doesn’t guarantee comfort or immunity from suffering. What it does is guarantee access. You can come to God in the mess and say, “This doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m not leaving.”

The psalm ends not with answers but with an appeal: “Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.” The psalmist anchors in God’s character, His chesed (Hebrew for “steadfast love” and the closest Hebrew word for “grace”). This is God’s covenant faithfulness, alive and well, even when circumstances seem to contradict it. That’s mature faith: clinging to what you know about God when you feel your situation is screaming something different.

This is a psalm for cancer wards and unemployment lines, for faithful marriages that still end in divorce, for kids who pray for healing and don’t get it. It’s permission to be brutally honest with God about your pain while still trusting His ultimate goodness.

Devotional Prompts:

• When have you felt punished by life despite walking faithfully with God, and how did you process that with Him?
• What’s the difference between honest lament (like this psalm) and entitled complaining against God?
• How do you hold onto God’s unfailing love when your circumstances seem to suggest He’s forgotten you?
• Who around you needs permission to bring their doubts and pain to God without shame, and how can you create that space?

Prayer: God, sometimes following You feels like it makes things harder, not easier. We don’t understand why faithfulness doesn’t equal safety or why covenant doesn’t mean comfort. But even in confusion, we choose to believe You’re good. Wake up to our situation, Lord. See our pain. Move in power on behalf of Your people, not because we deserve it but because You’re faithful to Your promises. We’re holding on to Your unfailing love even when we can’t see Your hand in the darkness around us. Amen.