I had been saved about 22 years, when the pain and deformities of Rheumatoid Arthritis overwhelmed me. I felt abandoned by God and people. If it wasn't for my teenager daughter during that time, I don't know if I would have made it. My husband was singularly unequipped to deal with my disability. He finally figured things out about 7 years later when I had reconstruction surgery on my foot, and he realized how bad the disease was.
So for about 2 years, I shut my Bible and stopped praying. I stopped attending a big church where no one had spoken to me in two years. I was completely disabled and depressed beyond comprehension. I turned my back to God and towards the wall, like Hezekiah. Except I didn't have the energy to call out to God anymore.
I did know God was there, I was just so angry at him. There was no overt sin, except the sin of not acknowledging God. I do believe God was there for me through it all.
The way I came out of it was God called me back. He was insistent and persistent. He never stopped calling, night and day. It started out simply. "Read the Psalms" So finally, I started reading the Psalms. I had heard that Billy Graham read 5 a day, so I started reading 5 a day. That meant I was literally reading all 150 in a month. I did that for almost 2 years.
God spoke to me over and over through his word. He showed me that no one has a perfect life. There are so many cries to God in the Psalms, esp. about bones.
"For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long." Psalm 32:3
Some might not think that RA attacks bones. But my bones were twisted so badly when the joints were flared, they are not usable. To this day walking is a challenge.
Anyway, God kept on calling me. My daughter got me going to just the small church I needed, where there was good preaching, and people who cared enough to take the time to help me heal. Then I got on good meds, and I was able to be restored physically, (for that time, at least!)
But the most important thing was God called me to Seminary. So I went from turned away from God, to studying on how to serve God for the rest of my life. It was an amazing time of getting to know God again, of studying the Word in depth, of learning tools and skills to minister to people, and healing the brokenness inside me, not just because of my illness, but also because of things that happened to me in my past.
God was so good to me, and I know he will be good to any sinner that repents. For someone who once served God, but turned away, God is always calling. In fact, the following verse is for Christians, not for unbelievers.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Rev. 3:20
God is not just willing to accept you but he is calling. He is knocking at the door of your heart and loves you and wants you to return to him. But you need to repent and turn back to him.
Please pm me if you want to talk about this. I am a pastor, and I hope I can encourage you or whoever you are speaking about, because God is always there for a repentant sinner.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?36 As it is written,“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39