Section Introduction
Section 2: When We Feel Separated from GodWHEN WE FEEL SEPARATED FROM GOD
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus’s cry from the cross is heart wrenching. The words are so familiar to us that we forget how surprising they are. Of all people of all time, who would expect those words to come from his lips? But, they do. If we pay attention, we realize that those words began to form on his lips in the garden of Gethsemane. There he prayed that his life and death would unfold differently, only to experience God’s silence in response.
The silence in Gethsemane, his cry from the cross, they may well be the deepest expressions of Jesus’s humanity. There may be no more human experience than feeling separated from God. The aloneness, the silence of the experience leads us to think that no one else can ever have known such a feeling. The reality, though, is that every person of faith knows the experience in some way. Mother Theresa, who was a model of faith and faithfulness for decades, experienced that sense of separation for many of those decades.
Separation from God may be a moment’s question, a time of numbness to the touch of the Spirit, or can be “the dark night of the soul”. However deeply it is felt, the experience is one of being alone, unheard, and uncared for. At times, in the Old Testament, separation from God is a consequence of not keeping covenant with God.
The experience of separation from God brings with it a lot of questions, everything from, “Why me?” to “Is there even really a God?” The Psalms often ask, “How long, O Lord?” Take some time to look at experiences of separation from God in the Bible.
- The Israelites in the wilderness (in the book of Exodus)
- Saul, in his battles with David
- David, in his battles with others and with himself
- The Israelites in captivity in Babylon
- Job
- Jesus (in each of the Gospels)
- Judas
How do they respond to the experience? Can you understand their choices?
What has your own experience been, or that of family members or friends? What have responses been? Who do you hold accountable for the separation? How have you interacted with someone who’s experiencing separation from God?
Discussion Topics
Section 2: When We Feel Separated from GodWe do not always recognize God:
Why do you think David felt separated from God?
When do you feel separated from God?
- Why do you think you feel this way?
- What steps can you take to be ready to recognize God’s presence?
- How did David come to recognize God in his life?
- Do you think Rachel recognized God throughout the movie, or just part of it?
Is it OK to feel this way?
What would an act of God look like? Would we know it if we saw it?
Is God never silent? Is God always silent? If so, is that OK?
Was David asking the right question?
Do you purposefully seek awareness and understanding of your faith journey or just let it happen?
Feelings of anger:
What can cause us to feel angry?
- Who do you think is angry in the film? Why?
- Who has reason to be angry in the film? Why?
- Have you ever felt angry?
- Do you think anger can help you seek God?
- Do you think God wants us to be angry with him?
What happened in David’s life that he was finally compelled to take action in his life? What does it take for you to get up and take action in your faith journey?
Is it OK to feel anger? How can we cope with anger so we do not hurt ourselves, our neighbors, our family, or God?
What dangers do we face when we feel strong emotions? Can anger be good for us?
Feelings of shame:
What can make us feel ashamed?
- Who do you think feels some shame in the film? Why?
- Who has reason to be ashamed in the film? Why?
- Have you ever felt ashamed?
- Do you think shame can help you seek God?
- Do you think God wants us to feel shameful?
Is it OK to feel shame? How can we cope with shame so we do not hurt ourselves, our neighbors, our family, or God?
What dangers do we face when we feel withdrawn or separated from God or our community? Can feelings of shame be good for us?
What role does shame or guilt play in regulating your behavior? Are shame and guilt the same thing? Does your culture respond more to guilt or shame to influence behavior?
Feelings of guilt:
How did God work in the story?
- Who do you think feels some guilt in the film? Why?
- Who has reason to be guilty in the film? Why?
- Have you ever been guilty?
- Do you think guilt can help you seek God?
- Do you think God wants us to feel guilt?
What dangers can we get ourselves into when we feel guilty? Can feelings of guilt be good for us?
Do you respond more to guilt or shame? Which character do you think felt guilty of something? If so, what was it?
