Where is God???

Do you ever wonder that? Do you ever wonder. "Where is God when _____?" or " Where was God when ______" I think that it is a pretty common question. I know that I've asked it, many times. Many times I've cried out "Where were you God? And why did you allow this trial to occur?"

These questions are not bad or evil. Any sincere question you have for God is a good one. God is not intimidated by our questions, He is not offended by them. No, He LOVES our questions. For it is only in the asking that we can find answers.

Just be aware that you might not like the answer you get. God is going to be honest and He is going to deal with you, as He deals with me-- He holds me to His standards. Yes, I've asked God "Where were you?" sometimes His response has been a gentle, but needed "Daughter, it isn't about where I was. I've always been right here. You need to ask yourself, where were you? Why did you leave my side?"

That isn't always what I want to hear. I want to be able to blame God, because then I can maintain the facade that I'm in charge. But that is false. I'm not. God is.

Yes, I still wonder at times why God allowed certain things to happen. I wasn't raped because I ran from God. As a matter of fact, at that point in my life, I was fairly intimate with Him. The spiral I went on after the rape was not God's fault either. I didn't miscarry and try to commit suicide because God was off in some other part of the galaxy. I spiraled down (partly) because I ran FROM Him. I was the one that moved. Straying from God meant that I wasn't holding onto Him. I was denying myself the comfort and peace that I yearned for.

At a time in my life when I needed God, when I should have been huddling in His comforting peace, I was running from him. There were many reasons for this, or so I thought. The truth is, I ran. I left. God didn't leave, God was constantly urging me back to Him. I was ignoring it.

So, where is God? Where is God in the midst of the economic crisis? Where is God in the midst of 1000's of women being sold into sexual slavery every week? Where is God in a world that is mired in sexual sins, in drug addiction, in idolatry?

The answer is that God is right where He has always been. He is on his throne, reigning and loving us. He is holding the women as they are abused, crying the tears that they no longer have to shed. He is also quietly urging people to be charitable and help their neighbors. He is teaching people new languages, so the Bible can be translated and handed out, and people will see that there is an alternative to sin.

God gave us free will. We are now reaping what we have sown. God hates the sin as much as we hate it, but He loves us enough to let us choose our own path, even if it means rejecting us. God hates how much we humans hurt each other. God wants us to turn to Him, to run to Him. God will guide us and lead us, He is just waiting for the invitation.

Even if you have been a believer for the majority of your life, God still needs the invitation. What areas are you keeping from Him? God wants to be involved there too. So where is God? God is with us in the good and bad. God is here. God is always right here. It is never really about where God is. The better question is "Where are you in relation to God?" Are you facing toward God, or are you turned away and even running from Him?


"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in..." (Rev. 3:20a)