Has God Given Up on Me? Answering Your Questions
Dear friend,
I keep thinking about how fast God made the world. Six days, and the heavens, the earth and the sea were all in place. Yet with you and me, He takes a lifetime. He isn't slow. He's choosing to stay close and walk it out with us.
"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them..." (Exodus 20:11, BSB)
"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9, BSB)
He's patient with the real you, the one reading this today.
Lately your comments have carried some heavy questions, so this week I sat down with four of them. I've left out every name. If one of them echoes something in your own heart, please hear me: you're not the only one. And has God given up on you? No.
I've known cancer, a painful custody battle and other hard seasons. In each one, God showed up in ways I didn't see coming. What follows is the oil of the crushing, poured out for you.
Watch this week’s video on YouTube
"God abandoned me because my faith was weak."
Maybe you're afraid you disappointed Him so badly that He left. Feelings are honest, but they're not always accurate. Distance in your heart doesn't mean distance in His.
"…for God has said: 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5, BSB)
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit." (Psalm 34:18, BSB)
Even after five-plus years with a breast cancer diagnosis, I still have lonely days. I've learned not to let those days write the story. My husband came into my life right on time. Soon after our wedding I lost my job, and he carried us while God slowly lifted weights we couldn't move. I was scared then, even while I trusted. Fear and faith can live in the same heart.
"For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh." (Galatians 5:17, BSB)
If you ache for God, that longing is His fingerprint. He's still pulling you toward Him.
Sit with this: When have you felt far from God, and looking back, where was He anyway?
"Please pray God helps me find a job."
I'm praying, truly. And I want you to know your value was never tied to a paycheck. Send the applications, make the calls, walk through the doors. Then hand Him the results, and ask Him to shut the wrong doors as boldly as you ask Him to open the right one. I can't name the job or the date, but I can stand on this:
"And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19, BSB)
My 2013 Chevy Equinox is my proof. That car crossed the country with me four times and passed 204,000 miles. For a few years, driving brought in a good part of my income while I built my clientele, and for a stretch during COVID, it was my main source of income. God told me to keep going and He'd keep it running. He did.
That car is also where my salvation story starts. Between Uber rides, I stopped at Whole Foods for lunch before picking up my son from school. A man there ended up talking with me for three hours. When he quoted Scripture, the words cut straight through me. It was the Holy Spirit. I went home and began studying the Bible and learning who Jesus is. Years later I found out why "pierced my soul" fit so well. God's Word is called "…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17, BSB). I'll tell you the whole story someday.
The God who kept that car going can keep you going too.
Sit with this: What's your part this week, and what do you need to leave in His hands?
"I'm a sinner and a work in progress. How can He still forgive me?"
I love how you put it. "In progress" means the Builder hasn't left the job site.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, BSB)
"being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6, BSB)
Notice whose faithfulness that verse leans on. It's His, not ours. We bring Him the mess, and He does the cleaning. Shame says hide. Grace says come closer. Friend, choose to listen to grace.
For me, the change comes as His Word reshapes how I see myself. My identity is what He says about me, not what the world taught me to believe. More and more, He's the only one I want to please.
"The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?" (Psalm 27:1, BSB)
Sit with this: What would change if you believed His faithfulness carries more weight than your failures?
A gentle warning: keep His voice close
I'm saying this with love. When we keep tuning God out, His voice can start to feel faint. It's not because He went quiet. We got loud.
"After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice." (1 Kings 19:12, BSB)
I get it. My mind rarely rests. I've lived in survival mode for years, juggling bills, my son, my health, my marriage, my home, the people I love, and now this ministry, where I create songs, videos, newsletters and blogs. All good things, and all of them can drown Him out if I never pause.
"As it has been said: 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.'" (Hebrews 3:15, BSB)
"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8, BSB)
"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10, BSB)
Here's the good news. Even on my most hurried days, His truth breaks through, because His Word is alive. It reached me at that Whole Foods table before I knew what it was.
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow." (Hebrews 4:12, BSB)
"However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13, BSB)
Try this today: Set the phone aside. Give Him five minutes and one verse, then ask, "Lord, what are You saying to me?"
Sit with this: What noise could you turn down this week to hear Him better?
"Things happen in His time. How do I stay patient?"
Listening and waiting go together, and time spent waiting on Him is never wasted.
"But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31, BSB)
"For who has despised the day of small things?" (Zechariah 4:10, BSB)
Sometimes God gives us one small piece of the bigger dream: a job, a project, a season. Treasure it, because He'll weave it into the whole.
My dogs taught me the other side of this. When I fill their water bowl, they dive in before I'm done and drink the few sips at the bottom. If they'd give me a few more seconds, they'd have a full bowl. I do that with God too. Grabbing early can mean forcing a door, rushing a relationship or launching before He's prepared it, or prepared me. Let Him finish pouring.
How can you tell it's time? He provides what's needed: time, money, energy or passion. If those aren't there yet, it may be "not yet," not "no."
"He has made everything beautiful in its time." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, BSB)
For years I did everything for this ministry myself: the website, the videos, the editing, the newsletters. That was preparation, not a detour. Now He's bringing the time and the help to build my dream, a place where people feel seen and loved, and find hope. Too many people feel disposable. You aren't.
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands." (Isaiah 49:15–16, BSB)
Your name is written on His hands. Whatever walls you built to survive, He can soften them. His timing hasn't matched my calendar, but it's been better than I could have planned.
Sit with this: What small piece has God already placed in your hands, and are you grabbing for more before He's done pouring?
A song for your heart: We Cry, You Respond
I created this worship song for the moments when it feels like heaven is silent. He hears every cry, and He answers. Listen to We Cry, You Respond on YouTube
A prayer for you
Father, thank You for the person reading these words, and thank You that You haven't given up on them. Come near to the one who feels far away. Give strength to the one who is waiting. Open the right doors for everyone looking for work, and supply every need according to Your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Cover the one carrying shame with Your grace. Soften the hearts that had to build walls, and remind each one that they are seen, loved, and written on the palms of Your hands. Quiet us so we can hear You, and finish the good work You started. In Jesus' name, amen.
What are you waiting on God for right now? Share it in the comments on the video so I can pray for you.
God isn't finished with you.
With love,
Jeanna Chebat-Gynan
This is my personal story, not medical advice. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).