Some people feel that God is very far from us and is utterly unconcerned about what is going on in our world. They seem to think that God has lost interest in us. But that is not true.

During their exile in Babylon, the Israelites felt abandoned by God. They had been deprived of their homeland and led off into slavery. It was indeed a painful and challenging period for them. With one voice, the people cried out, "The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me." But God sent His prophet to protest that it was not so. In a beautiful image, God replied to the people through His prophet, "Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child in her womb? Even if she forgets, I will never forget you." Yes, God truly cares for and loves us. He is ever involved in the struggles of His people, and His love continually creates new opportunities.

Therefore, we must never think that God is unconcerned or that He has abandoned us, even if everybody else has left us. The test of genuine faith comes, not in good times, but bad ones. It is then that we must cling to the belief that our God really cares.