“God! Where Are You?!”
“God! Where are You?!”
Have you ever asked that question?
“God! Where are You?!”
Have you ever shouted those four words in unmatched frustration hoping … sincerely hoping … that He would answer you in a time of pain or heartache?
“God! If You are there … I need You! I need You right now!”
Perhaps after assuming that you have been ignored by the Creator of the universe, rather than interrogate Him, you decided it was time to demand of Him ~ to let Him know LOUDLY of your expectations.
“God! Did You hear me?! If You are there … You better show up in my life!”
This has been such a long year for so many people … from politics to the pandemic.
From isolation to the shaken economy …
From grief to loneliness …
One of my dear friends is grieving both the death of her mother and then her own husband within less than a 6-month period.
“God! Where Are You?!”
I have learned that when my circumstances are devastating and when my heart has been ripped to shreds that often my mind and my emotions will attempt to lie to me.
My boiling emotions tell me that God doesn’t care … that He is nowhere to be found … that He is far, far away.
In those moments of understandable and common human pain, I have found that I must lean into what I know to be truth.
Truth is different than facts.
Truth is more powerful than facts will ever be.
Truth rises triumphantly over the circumstantial outrage that haunts my life.
The fact is that this has been a hard year.
The fact is that it has not been easy for anyone.
The facts are that politics are nasty, the pandemic is relentless, that isolation is destructive and that the economy is broken.
Those are the facts.
The cold, hard facts.
And then … there is the truth of God!
The truth of Scripture … the unfailing, faithfulness of your good, good Father!
The truth is that God cares! He cares about you at the worst moment of your life. You are not forsaken and you are not alone.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4
The truth is that God is still in control! He has not given His authority or His oversight away. He is working behind the scenes of your life.
“The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” – Psalm 138:8
The truth is that God is our Comforter and our Friend!
“Let Your steadfast love comfort me according to Your promise to Your servant.” – Psalm 119:76
The truth is that only God ~ not a person or a political party ~ has the power to heal what is broken on planet earth.
Only God.
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” – Acts 10:38
I don’t know what your questions are for the Lord this week … or any week of the calendar year.
But I hope that you don’t answer your own questions with fleeting facts … I hope that you will listen to and then embrace eternal truth for the answers to the really hard questions in life.
When frustration and anger rise up within you … ignore those two emotional bullies and follow the truth of the Word of God.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13
When you feel alone and as if no one cares … go to the One who has promised to be Your constant Companion and your very best Friend.
“But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24
When it feels as though your heart is unable to make it through one more disappointment … one more challenge … or one more storm … remind yourself of this truth:
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18
So, if you are asking the question today, “God! Where are You?”!
The truth is that He is only a whisper away.
If you are demanding that God show up in your life … He already has. He was there before you even asked Him to come.
“ … He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5
Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me. And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!