God has forgotten me. God has abandoned me. Most people have probably felt that way at one time or another. In difficult or painful circumstances we wonder where God has gone. Isaiah tells us that God has not gone anywhere - He is always present and working on our behalf. Our God is about compassion, mercy and kindness, not about wrath and punishment, and He intends only good for every person. Isaiah challenges us to continue to hope and to have faith. We are never given more than we can bear, and God's blessings are not far behind every difficulty we experience.

Just as God is always working, so is Jesus His Son, and they both work on our behalf. In this strange discourse, Jesus insists that He is a life-giver, just as the Father is. Again we are challenged to think of God in terms of someone who wants to bless and empower us. Jesus has the power of God within Him, and He desires to share that with us, for our faith is about more than "being saved". Putting our total faith and hope in Jesus gives us access to God and opens us to the power of this life-giving love. We need not look upon ourselves as poor or without inner resources. At every moment, more than we can imagine is available for us, and we need only to turn to the Lord in faith and ask. Let us allow God to bless and empower us in every situation.