Have You Ever Felt Like This?

[Poetricia (G.A.P.)]

As I said, David (in the Psalms) and Jesus (in the garden and on the cross) showed us the human side of feeling hurt and abandoned by God, as have countless others throughout the scriptures, but NOWHERE does anyone "FORGIVE" God. I mean, really, who are we to think we can forgive the Soveriegn, Holy, RIghteous, Just, All seeeing, All knowing, Almighty God of the universe?

I can't tell you the times I've felt lost, alone, abandoned, forgotten, forsaken, hurt, upset, angry, mad, upset, ticked off, etc..... about something I KNOW God allowed, God did or God didn't do for me.

But you know what? After I go through all my phases of feelings, no matter how long or short those phases, no matter how buried they are or how transparent the feelings, in the end, it's ME asking GOD for forgiveness, never ME saying "God, I forgive YOU".

[giantsdodie]

GAP while I understand what you are saying I would have to say yes.. we can forgive GOD and I have done it in my life.

Forgiveness has more than one meaning. We tend to associate forgiveness with the wrong doing of the individual we are forgiving.

However Forgivness also means this

"to cease to feel resentment against"

"to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.)."

So in this sense can we cease to feel resenment against God.. sure... Can we stop feeling like God OWES us something.. YES...

so yes in that sense we CAN forgive God.

[krazeeboi]

Vin, thanks for sharing your testimony. It blessed me.

God isn't the one in need of forgiveness; it's us. WE are the ones estranged from God. WE are the ones who have fallen short of His righteous standard. WE are the ones who need to conform our will to His will through the power of the Spirit. God is not at fault, so He needs no forgiveness. But we do.

[krazeeboi]

Giants, using those meanings, you have a point. I'm primarily approaching the subject from the biblical vantage point of forgiveness.

[Jasmine]

I can see where both directions are completely valid

I, myself, have felt as if, God owed me something, an apology, a daughter, an intervention before damaging things occured, an a answer to ease some hurts that I've experienced in my own life. Even in my moments of anger towards him, I have never had to say I forgive you God, because I knew that God wasn't the problem.. I have had to cry out for Him to forgive me, for my anger, doubt, and frustration towards him, and I had to forgive myself as well.

[vin]

First I want to say that the pains in my stomach ceased after I posted earlier today so if anyone prayed for me I say THANK YOU. This thing hurt me until it stressed me and that's where the ulcer symptoms came from. I worried myself into a bacterial ulcer several years ago and I learned then that it comes from stress and worry. All day I have been speaking aloud, "I release..."

So much good stuff has been shared. I understand completely where everyone is coming from. I was feeling today like I needed to say out loud, "I forgive you God". I was a little afraid to say it, mainly because of upbringing and teaching. But I felt like I needed to speak it because of what I felt was trying to creep into my heart against God. So I said it. And guess what? God didn't kill me for saying it!

Thanks Giants for those definitions because that's what I was feeling inside.

This is why I felt like I needed to say those words. When we are offended it is not always because the person DID something wrong to us. Offence comes when we have an expectation and that expectation is not met. We are sometimes offended because we feel let down, we expected more than what we got. Many people are holding grudges against people who haven't done anything wrong to them but they are angry with them nonetheless. Why? Because of what they expected and didn't receive.

So that's what this was for me. I expected something because I thought God was telling me something in particular. So that's where LANL's comment on misunderstanding comes in for me. It's easy to misunderstand something when it's not being explained to you and you aren't getting all the details.

[vin]

This situation reminds me of another situation a little over 5 years ago when I received a prophecy. I understood it to mean that I would meet my husband by the end of that years. 4 years later I'm still single like a mug.

In the prophecy I was told that God was going to do 3 things for me by the end of that year that I had been praying for. And that "one of those things is of utmost importance to you". Okay so ANYBODY who knows me knew what that was.
I "tested" the prophecy by asking people waht that thing was and they all answered correctly. Two of the things happened within two months but that one thing didn't come to pass and still hasn't. I remember storming out of church that morning. A few days later I wrote this poem.

Still

I thought you meant what I hoped you meant
I thought you were so good
And now I wonder what you meant
It didn’t happen like I thought it would
I told others about what you said
Thought I was putting you on the spot
Surely you would come through for me
What would it look like if you did not?
A part of me was full of expectation
And yet a part with so much doubt
That you were really going to give to me
The one thing that I cared most about
But now the time has come and gone
And it is clear to me
That you didn’t mean what I thought you meant
It’s not what I thought it would be
Though tears have been my portion
Because of what I thought you would
A song will be upon my lips
Because still, you are so good

[Poetricia (G.A.P.)]

vin, i love this piece, especially the ending, reminds me of the many psalms david wrote that started out like "how long lord how long" but ended with nothing but praises to the most high. thanks for sharing.

[livinganewlife]

Honestly, what do you do when you feel like God has let you down?

One thing this journey has taught me is that we (general) do not understand who our enemy is and neither do we understand the tricks and plans of the enemy............

I say that to say...............that many times the failures (heartache) in life that we experience are not the will God has for us but attacks sent straight from the enemy......

GAP / or someone mentioned David and the Book of Psalms......and one thing I have noticed about David that whenever he was going through he recognized the works of the enemy in his writings......there are many instances where David cried out to the Lord because of His enemies and he never associated his attacks with guilt or neglect from God…….. Most of his Psalms are Lord deliver me from mine enemies etc…..

And we (general) have not been taught how to recognize the enemy…..and we blame a lot of the hurtful experiences to God when they are really attacks from the devil himself to shake our faith……

I will be back to this post………….

[Jasmine]

Nov 20, 2008 11:51:14 GMT -5 livinganewlife said:

Honestly, what do you do when you feel like God has let you down?

Cry, scream, and fall into your daddy's arms.

One thing this journey has taught me is that we (general) do not understand who our enemy is and neither do we understand the tricks and plans of the enemy............

I say that to say...............that many times the failures (heartache) in life that we experience are not the will God has for us but attacks sent straight from the enemy......

GAP / or someone mentioned David and the Book of Psalms......and one thing I have noticed about David that whenever he was going through he recognized the works of the enemy in his writings......there are many instances where David cried out to the Lord because of His enemies and he never associated his attacks with guilt or neglect from God…….. Most of his Psalms are Lord deliver me from mine enemies etc…..

And we (general) have not been taught how to recognize the enemy…..and we blame a lot of the hurtful experiences to God when they are really attacks from the devil himself to shake our faith……

I will be back to this post…………
[/quote]


I agree, but I tend to slightly differ in a view. The enemy, his tricks are not new. I believe, that if we took the time to recognize GOD, his moves, his ways, hone in on what the spirit is doing and saying, then everything that is not like his nature, character and attributes, could be seen a far off.

Alot of time, we tend to want to study the enemy,his moves, his ways, but we miss studying who God is. I can only speak for myself, but I have been there and done it. I have found for myself, that sometimes when I think I am dealing with the enemy and a situation that he has caused, it's actually been God.

[giantsdodie]

Nov 20, 2008 12:57:52 GMT -5 Jasmine said:

Nov 20, 2008 11:51:14 GMT -5 livinganewlife said:

Honestly, what do you do when you feel like God has let you down?

Cry, scream, and fall into your daddy's arms.

One thing this journey has taught me is that we (general) do not understand who our enemy is and neither do we understand the tricks and plans of the enemy............

I say that to say...............that many times the failures (heartache) in life that we experience are not the will God has for us but attacks sent straight from the enemy......

GAP / or someone mentioned David and the Book of Psalms......and one thing I have noticed about David that whenever he was going through he recognized the works of the enemy in his writings......there are many instances where David cried out to the Lord because of His enemies and he never associated his attacks with guilt or neglect from God…….. Most of his Psalms are Lord deliver me from mine enemies etc…..

And we (general) have not been taught how to recognize the enemy…..and we blame a lot of the hurtful experiences to God when they are really attacks from the devil himself to shake our faith……

I will be back to this post…………

I agree, but I tend to slightly differ in a view. The enemy, his tricks are not new. I believe, that if we took the time to recognize GOD, his moves, his ways, hone in on what the spirit is doing and saying, then everything that is not like his nature, character and attributes, could be seen a far off.

Alot of time, we tend to want to study the enemy,his moves, his ways, but we miss studying who God is. I can only speak for myself, but I have been there and done it. I have found for myself, that sometimes when I think I am dealing with the enemy and a situation that he has caused, it's actually been God.

[/quote]


That last point is very valid. We tend not to realize that it is GOD who will place us in some strenuous heart wrenching situations to bring the most out of us.

Note Joseph's statement to his brothers

Genesis 45

4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

7A nd God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

So while Joseph was sold into slavery unjustly, falsely accused by Poitphar's wife, thrown in prison and forgotten about for years his view of the situation was that it was GOD who sent him ahead ( and also helped Joseph gain some humility and get delivered from arrogance )....

So its not always the enemy.

[vin]

Giants that's where I am. I know this was God. I think sometimes when things hurt us we automatically say it's the devil. Like, if it's good, it's God and if it's bad it's the devil. So we start rebuking something that doesn't move. Not because we don't have the power, but really because you can't rebuke God.

My pastor mentioned Joseph and a few others in bible study Tuesday night and used them as examples of how God can seem to do the very opposite of what He said or showed you He would do. And he said that those people in scripture went on to be used mightily by God.
David, Joseph, Moses.