READ: PSALM 9:9-10; JOHN 14:16-21; ROMANS 5:5-8; 8:16, 35-39

One morning, I rushed into my parents’ room to say, “Good morning.” Mom removed her wedding ring and shoved it to the bottom of her jewelry box. “Mommy, where’s Daddy?” “He’s not coming back,” she said. I returned to my room and wept in my closet. The number of times I saw him after that, I could count on my fingers. Abandoned. I felt utterly and completely abandoned.

As a teen, I made foolish choices to mask my pain. Losing my earthly father made it hard to believe there was a heavenly Father who loved me. But God never let me go. One day, I felt a strong urge to go to church. In a small church, I heard joy in the singing. And the smiles of the people shone in their eyes and reached into my heart. I felt a quiet voice telling me it was time to come close to God. I longed for the community, the love, and the joy these people shared. I knew I had done much wrong. But Jesus had already paid the price for my wrongdoing by dying on the cross. I admitted my sins, trusted God for forgiveness, and asked Him to be the leader of my life. I was no longer abandoned or alone. I had a heavenly Father and a family of Christians.

When we feel hurt by an earthly parent, trusting in our heavenly Father can be difficult. But Psalm 27:10 tells us, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” God has promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). Nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39). Our heavenly Father will never abandon us, and in Him we find love and joy that will never end. • Mary Schilling

• Sometimes a loss in our lives makes it hard to trust others. But God has so much compassion on us and patiently brings healing to our hearts. Through His Word and His Spirit, He shows us He is trustworthy, and He provides fellow Christians who can show us His love in tangible ways. If you’ve experienced a deep hurt, who is a safe adult in your life you could talk to about it? If you need someone to talk to, you can request a free conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department by calling 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and ask to speak with the care associate.

• Can you think of a time you tried to mask your pain by doing things you might regret? Jesus invites us to come to Him, confess our wrongdoing, and rest in His love and forgiveness because He already paid the price for our sins. Consider taking some time to come to Jesus now.

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

READ: EPHESIANS 2:4-9; 3:12-21

One of the things that bothered me about God while I was growing up was that I thought He just loved me because He had to. I learned that God loved the whole world (John 3:16), but I didn’t think He really loved me personally. I thought He just loved me because I was part of “the world.” And honestly, I thought the main reason God saved me was so that He could save other people through me.

Thankfully, God has been slowly breaking down this lie that says He doesn’t really love me for me. Over the years, He has provided different mentors who I’ve been able to honestly share my struggles with. Through these people loving me, praying with me, and pointing me to Scripture, I’ve learned that I can share my struggles—including all the messy questions and anger and shame and sorrow—with Jesus. And I’ve discovered that He really does love me. He’d love me even if I was in a permanent coma and couldn’t do one single thing for Him. He saved me, not because He wants me to do anything for Him, but because He delights in me and longs for me to be with Him.

So now, when I look at the cross, I see Jesus’s love for me. He wanted to be with me so badly that the cross was worth it to Him. And through His resurrection, He frees me from every lie of the devil that accuses God of not being loving, and accuses me of not being lovable. It’s getting easier to spot these lies, and to know that they’re not true. But even when they feel true, I can bring them to Jesus and ask Him to remind me, or perhaps show me in a new way, that His love for me really is better than I could hope.

Sometimes I can do this on my own, other times I need a Christian friend or mentor to remind me of Jesus’s promises and to pray with me and help me process what I’m feeling, thinking, and maybe even believing. But every time, Jesus meets me with tender compassion, life-giving truth, and—always—love. • Hannah Howe

• When do you struggle to believe that God loves you for you? Consider spending some time in prayer, asking God to help you know His love for you in a deeper way. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

• Who are trusted Christians in your life you can be honest with about your struggles—people who will listen well, pray with you, and point you to Scriptures where Jesus promises to love you, forgive you, give you grace, and always keep you and be with you?

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19 (NIV)

READ: PSALMS 103:1-22; 139:7-12; JOHN 14:16-18

Have you ever heard someone say, “I really feel the Lord’s presence?” I hear this most often after or during a worship service. Whether it be a church service, youth group, or some other event, I’ve heard many people say they feel closest to God when worshipping through music. Maybe you agree with them, and during worship songs you find yourself throwing your hands up in praise to God and singing with joy. Or maybe you’re not sure what you feel. You want to feel the closeness to God it seems everyone else is feeling, but all you hear is music.

I love worship songs and raising my hands in praise to God. But I must remind myself that worship is not about my feelings. Worship is about bringing honor and praise to our God, the one who loves us more than any other. And God’s presence is not dependent upon how we feel. He is always with us! We can never get further from or closer to God’s presence. In Psalm 139, David writes, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (verse 7-8). If we’ve put our trust in Jesus—believing that He died and was resurrected to save us from our sins—then through the Holy Spirit, we are always with God (Matthew 28:20).

If you have a difficult time remembering that God is with you when you don’t specifically feel His presence, it might help to spend time focusing on God’s presence outside of worship services. You could try writing out a few Bible verses (such as the verses from Psalm 139) and hanging them up in your bedroom or somewhere you’ll see them often. If it’s a challenge to focus on God during worship when you don’t feel anything, tell Him. Pray during the worship. Talking to Him about our struggles helps us remember that He is there, and that worship isn’t actually about us and our feelings. It’s about God and His never-changing presence. And we can worship Him whether our feelings cooperate or not. • Elizabeth Cooper

• Can you think of a time you didn’t feel connected to God during worship? God invites us to talk to Him when we don’t feel connected to Him. We can tell Him we don’t feel anything during worship. We can tell Him we don’t feel His presence. And we can tell Him that we’re going to praise Him anyway, because He is good and loving and so worthy of our praise.

• Besides music and singing, what are some other ways that you like to worship God?

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 (NIV)