Weekly Devotion: Where are you, God?

By: Shara Garcia

Where is God when I feel abandoned?

Have you ever asked that question?

I have. I’ve whispered it in hospital rooms, cried it in the car, and felt it in my bones during seasons that didn’t make sense. If you’ve walked through high-risk pregnancy, infertility, postpartum depression, child loss, or held your child’s hand in a hospital bed, you know the feeling. It’s that ache that says, “God, I know You’re good… but where are You right now?”

Psalm 22 verse 1 starts with that exact question. “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

David didn’t sugarcoat his pain, and I love that God included his raw, honest words in Scripture. But what’s even more powerful? Those are the same words Jesus spoke on the cross.

When Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He wasn’t just expressing pain—He was also pointing to something deeper. In first-century Jewish culture, there were no chapter or verse numbers like we have today. Scripture was memorized, treasured, and passed down orally. So rabbis would often quote the first line of a passage to bring the whole text to mind. That’s what Jesus was doing from the cross—drawing hearts back to Psalm 22 as a whole. 

Yes, it begins in despair. But Psalm 22 ends with worship, victory, and the reminder that God has not turned His back on the suffering.

“For He has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned His back on them,

but has listened to their cries for help.” (Psalm 22:24 NLT)

Even when it feels like God is silent… He’s still listening. He hasn’t walked away. He’s still holding it all.

Sometimes we think God’s holiness meant He had to turn away – not just from sin but also suffering. By calling out Psalm 22 on the cross, Jesus wasn’t abandoned – He was inviting us to see the bigger story. God’s holiness doesn’t mean distance—it means transformative presence. From Eden to the cross, we see a God who moves toward the broken. He doesn’t run from pain—He meets us in it.

And if God didn’t leave Jesus in His suffering, He won’t leave you in yours.

I saw this in a real and personal way during the early days of my son’s recovery from open-heart surgery. He was hooked up to so many machines, in visible pain, and there was nothing I could do but be near and pray. It was one of the most helpless and heart-wrenching moments of my life.

But even then—especially then—God showed up.

Our very first night nurse, during what was probably the hardest night, turned out to be a Christian from our own church. She cared for our son with such tenderness and compassion, and I knew we weren’t alone. And then there was our dear friend Kienan. He didn’t just sit with us—he carried us. For three days and nights, he came to the hospital, giving us time to rest while he stayed with our son. He sang to Lukas when he was in pain, prayed scripture over him, held his tiny hand, and simply did whatever was needed.

I didn’t feel strong. I felt undone. But I wasn’t abandoned. God was there—in people, in prayer, in every act of love.

If you’re in a hard chapter right now, please hear me: your story isn’t over. Psalm 22 doesn’t end in despair—and neither will you. Jesus didn’t just quote those words—He fulfilled them. He walked through suffering so we’d never have to walk through ours alone.

So today, if all you can do is whisper, “Where are You, God?”—know that He’s already answered: “I’m here. I see you. I’m not leaving.”

God, in my hardest moments, I have asked the question where are you? I have felt abandoned, I have felt alone. Alone in my circumstances. Alone in my grief. Alone in my uncertainty of the future. And God, I thank you that I can bring those feelings, questions and confusions to you and you welcome my honesty. Thank you for providing me with hope as I read this today. I pray you'll provide me with comfort, truth and encouragement, too. The encouragement that you do not abandon me in my suffering. You are with me and you hear me. Thank you that Jesus made a way for me to walk through hard seasons with others and with you God. Amen.

Dig Deeper into How to Navigate What is Ahead with Real Hope

Reflection Questions:

1. When have you felt like God was silent or distant?

2. How does knowing that Jesus quoted Psalm 22 and fulfilled it change how you view God’s presence in suffering?

3. What part of Psalm 22 speaks most to you right now?

   
   
   
   

Put Your Faith Into Action:

Take time this week to write your own modern-day psalm. Start by being honest with God –share your pain, confusion or grief. Then, like David, choose to speak the truth about who God is. End by asking Him to meet you right where you are. 

Remember this is not about writing the perfect psalm, it is about processing with God instead of away from him. I pray it is healing for you to write this all out.

Further Reading:

1. Matthew 27:45-Matthew 28:10

   
   
   
   

Verse to meditate on and memorize:

“For He has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned His back on them,

but has listened to their cries for help.” (Psalm 22:24, NLT)

Shara is a SoCal mother to three littles, pastor’s wife, youth pastor, and heart warrior mama. She understands the importance of biblical encouragement; especially when her third child was born with a complex CHD requiring open heart surgery. She volunteers in obedience to God's call to comfort others "with the comfort we ourselves received from God."