Over the course of the last few months, many people I know and love have experienced situations that have caused them pain. I’m also one of them. In fact it is not limited just to people I know, but to thousands of families throughout Australia through natural disasters and man made issues. People have been hurting and in times like this, the natural reaction has to be to ask the following questions:
All these questions are real and legitimate.
Sometimes we do need to just ask ourselves them to understand what we believe. You see, it’s in the time of trials that our faith (or lack of) gets tested. When everything is going OK, when everything we touch turns to gold, when it all works out, it is really easy for us to say that we trust God and that He is in control. Of course we think He’s in control – we’re getting all the answers to our prayers.
But when the hard times come, the true depth of our faith is tested. What is faith – it is believing that someone (in this case God) would do what they said they would. And when things don’t seem to be working out how we would have thought they were, then we question what we believe – of ourselves, of God and of His Word. So the questions are OK, but what about your answers? Do you really believe He exists, He cares? Are you wondering where is He in all this?
We know God exists – we can see it in the morning when the sun rises, in His creation, when we breathe our first breath after waking. We see it in the rain, the wind. We see it in the kindness of strangers, we see it when a young boy lays down his life for his brother. Everywhere we look we see things that remind us of God, His character, His creativity, His majesty. But we only see them if we are looking.
Religion has taught us that God is mean, terrible and wanting to punish us for every time we mess up. They tell us that we are being punished for abortion, pornography, denying God in our land. They tell us that because we have sinned, then God punishes and causes us pain.
Those people who say that have a misshaped concept of God. Yes God is full of justice, but He is also a God of mercy and grace. For anyone who calls on His name, He saves. For those who know Him already, then He has made us completely righteous by punishing Jesus for our sin and He sees us clean and free from all past, present and future sin. It doesn’t mean that there are not consequences for us making a mistake, but it means that all the punishment for those sins has been paid.
So what about the fact that it seems like God doesn’t care. Of course He does. It hurts Him immensely that people are dying, injustice is happening, lives are happening. He is love and love hurts for others. The Bible talks about in another place that we should cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. He knows the number of the hairs on our heads (balding or not!). He knows that we have need of food, clothing and shelter. He cares for every part of our lives – so much so He has good plans for us giving us a future and a hope.
So where is God in all this? God is exactly where He said He would be. He is right beside you if you want Him. When Peter walked on the water, Jesus was right there when he began to sink. When the children of Israel left Egypt and went to Canaan, He was in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. When Shadrach, Meshach & Abednigo were in the fiery furnace, He was in there with them. In our trials, God is there. He sees all, He knows all.
But God is also a gentleman and will not force Himself upon anyone. He waits to be invited. So if we are wondering where He is in all this, then let me ask a question – have you asked Him to be involved or are you trying to work it out yourself? Remember faith is trusting in Him to do what He promised. If we involved Him, then we are saying that our strength is not enough and that we need His strength.
But don’t blame Him for not acting if you don’t let Him. He wants to be involved in our lives – will we let Him.
I don’t know exactly why God has let all this bad stuff happen to me, and to others. I know that He doesn’t like it and I also know that He’ll get me through it. He has a plan to turn this all around and make good come out of this.
To answer the question in my title – where is God in all this? Right where He needs to be – looking out for anyone who calls upon Him and poised to step in. Will you call?