Do you ever wonder where God is?
He promises never to leave or forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5), so why can’t we feel His presence sometimes in the midst of hardship, tragedy or strife?
If you’ve ever felt this way, you are not alone!!!
Rick Warren says in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, that this is a normal part of the testing and maturing of our relationship with God.
Yikes!! That kinda stinks!
He goes on to relate many times in the Bible where God’s people (i.e. Job, David, and more) asked where God was and why they couldn’t feel His presence. (Well, at least we are in good company if we’ve ever felt this way ourselves!!!)
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Psalms 22:1
The truth is that we all will face this test once or more times in our lives. The question is whether we will continue to love, trust, obey and worship God when it does happen.
To have faith in God isn’t necessarily about experiencing peace, joy or something magnificent. It means we have faith even when we feel like there is nothing to have faith in.
Easier said than done.
God doesn’t promise we will always FEEL His presence or feel right about a situation or even feel good, but He does promise to NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US.
Taking our emotions out of the equation and keeping our faith will help us remember these promises even when times are hard and the devil is gloating in our misery.
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2Corinthians 1:20
We must also remember that God is to be praised no matter what our circumstances are.
Rick Warren gives six reasons to praise God in the midst of painful situations that help me when things aren’t going my way:
- God is good and loving.
- God is all-powerful.
- God notices every detail of our lives.
- God is in control.
- God has a plan for my life.
- God will save us.
Number six gives me the most hope because it tells me that even though I am not worthy of saving, He does it anyway!!! How awesome is that?!?!?!
So, the next time you don’t have a clue where God is, remember that He is right there in the midst of your pain and that He loves you more than you can imagine.
Praise His Name and don’t lose faith. God is good, all of the time!
Some Wisdom for Today: Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
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