Feeling Deserted – But We are Never Forsaken – A Good Friday Devotional

Good Friday Devotional: “Deserted—but Not Forsaken”

Pastor Calvin Cook

Scripture: Isaiah 43:2, Matthew 26:36-45, Matthew 27:46, John 19:30

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” — Isaiah 43:2

Last evening, during our Maundy Thursday service, we entered a time of personal reflection and silent prayer. In the stillness, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He turned to His disciples in the moment of His deep anguish and asked, “Remain here and keep watch with me.” And yet—more than once—He returned to find them sleeping (Matthew 26:36–45).

That moment struck a chord in me. How many times has Jesus asked me to stay with Him in prayer, to remain faithful in a calling, to carry a burden in obedience—and I have drifted off, grown weary, or simply turned away?

Good Friday exposes not only the suffering of Christ, but also the frailty of human faithfulness. Jesus was deserted—not only by His enemies, but by His closest friends. He cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

And haven’t we all felt that at some point?

I’ve felt it. Times when I believed someone would stand by me—through struggle, through storm—but instead, they walked away.

This morning, I’ve been praying for those who feel that same sense of abandonment. For those longing to be seen, heard, held, helped. For those waiting to hear Good News, no one comes to bring it.

It’s in these moments we find ourselves in our own Garden of Gethsemane. Questioning. Crying. Feeling utterly alone.

But here’s the truth of Good Friday:

We are not expected to remain in the garden.

We are not abandoned.

We are not forsaken.

Isaiah 43 reminds us that God is not absent in our affliction. He is present in the fire, in the waters, in the midnight hour. And through the cross, Jesus entered fully into our suffering—not to leave us in it, but to redeem it.

“It is finished.” — John 19:30

He finished the work of love. He bore the weight of all our failures, all our loneliness, all our sin.

Encouragement for Today:

If today you feel deserted—by people, by circumstance, even by God—take heart. Jesus has been there. And He will not leave you there. Through the silence of the garden and the agony of the cross, He walks with you.

You may be in Gethsemane today, but Sunday is still coming. Endure, not in your strength, but in God’s will and purpose for your life. He who did not abandon Jesus in the grave will not abandon you in your pain.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Thank You for enduring the loneliness of the cross and the sorrow of the garden. Thank You for staying awake, even when we fall asleep. Forgive me for the times I’ve turned away or failed to remain with You in prayer. Be near to the ones who feel deserted today. Remind them—and remind me—that we are never forsaken. You walk with us through the fire, and You carry us when we can’t walk on our own. We cling to the hope that Good Friday brings: That even in death, You are at work. And resurrection is coming. Amen.