Most of us have asked this question at least once. Well-meaning individuals may spout cliques that fall on our deaf ears. These responses simply add to our sense of aloneness. Is there truly a satisfying answer to the question, “Where is God when I need him?” I believe there is.
Where is God when I am scared?
Today’s world is full of fear producing situations.
- Governments and policies change
- Illness threatens
- Jobs dry up
- You are left alone and don’t know how you will survive
Scripture tells us that fear is not from God. If that is true, then how do we turn off fear?
What about when bad things happen?
Evil is rampant in our world today.
- Children are abducted
- Women are sold into sex trafficking
- Angry mobs destroy homes, businesses, and lives
- People we should be able to trust are often abusive
Scripture says that evil will be turned into good. But is that even possible?
And when it hurts, then where is God?
Pain and grief come in many packages:
- Losing someone you love to death
- Working hard toward a goal only to have it vanish in the blink of an eye
- Desperately wanting to have a child and nothing works out
- Dreams of a solid marriage going up in smoke
- Your children become involved in things that grieve your heart
- You think you will never find true love
- Can you think of something else?
Fear, evil, and pain make us question life and its purpose.
Where is God when I need Him?
Do any of the above situations describe where you are right now? If you are trying to figure out where God is, let’s look at two possibilities.
Where is God?
God never changes. He is:
- Everywhere and always with us (1)
- Always available to help us (2)
- Wanting to comfort us (3)
- Wanting our companionship (4)
- Working our circumstances out for our good (5)
- Ready to forgive us (6)
- Planning great and meaningful things for us (7)
If this is always true about God, then why do we feel like God has abandoned us or is not listening? Maybe we need to ask a few more questions.
Where am I?
How would you rate your relationship with God?
Use a scale of 1 to 10. (1 equals, “I don’t know God at all”, and 10 equals, “I talk to God all the time. He’s my best friend.”)
Don’t give up if your score is low. Let me assure you that some of the greatest giants in the faith had lapses in their sense of God’s presence (read the Psalms). Likewise, they always came back to the fact that God had never left them. They always made a full circle to worship and praise God in spite of their circumstances.
The closer our relationship is with God, the easier it is to resolve the question of, “Where is God when I need him?” We may still ask the question, but we know where to find the answers.
Improving your score
If your score was a 1, then you need to know Jesus. That is where the answers to our questions begin. Please text or call 1-888-NEED-HIM. You can also go to their website at www.chataboutjesus.com. Someone is waiting there to talk to you.
The following exercises will help build your relationship with God. The more of them that you practice, the closer your relationship will be with God.
- Daily Bible reading
- Studying the Bible and learning how it applies to your life
- Talking with God throughout your day
- Having friends who love Jesus
- Regularly attending a church where Jesus is Lord
- Being part of an accountability group with people who love Jesus. They are often called community groups or discipleship groups
- Helping others
- Listening to Christian music that communicates the truth about God.
- Developing an attitude of gratitude
- Learning to forgive
- Telling your story of hope to others
A gift for you
I want to give to you this scripture card. It reminds us that our relationship with God is important. Simply click on the image to download. NO EMAIL REQUIRED.
You also may like to listen to this encouraging song about God being with us even in tragedy- “I have this hope“. The story behind the song is powerful.
References:
- Many thanks to Open Bible for making scripture navigation easy and logical for this article.
- (1) Proverbs 15:3, Psalm 139:7-12, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:5
- (2) Psalm 46:1, Psalm 91:1-16, 1 John 5:14, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Isaiah 40:31
- (3) Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4,Psalm 23:4, Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew 5:4
- (4) Psalm 46:10, Psalm 100:3
- (5) Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20
- (6) 1 John 1:9
- (7) Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:5-6, Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 139:16