Where Was God?

We all face uncertainty from time to time and we all face tragedy. Many times people will ask 'where was God?' as if He caused the problem that they're facing. It somehow makes us feel better to lay the blame for a circumstance on someone. In our minds it gives us a reason why something happened: because it was so and so's fault. And when we can find no human to blame, God seems to be the One who gets the blame. People who live their lives every day with no consideration for God in the least, suddenly bring God into their lives to blame Him for everything that is happening in the world. 

But even in all this, God has big shoulders. He understands our grief and our turmoil. He knows how our minds work, after all He made us. But let me set something straight right away: ever since Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, we have lived in a sinful world, a world cut off from God's perfect plan for our lives. That's why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so that we could be reconciled to Him once again and live under His protection. That's not to say that if we are Christians nothing bad will ever happen to us, certainly not. But if we accept Christ's payment for our sins and live our life for God, we understand that everything that happens to us has to pass through God's filter first. And if He allows trials in our life they are for a reason, maybe to make us stronger and more like Him. 

We know that He will never give us more than we can bear. Those of us who follow Him understand that. 

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

As I said before, we live in a sinful world, so we will have troubles. Its comforting for me to know that God will watch over me and help me when I need His help. This verse says that God is faithful and He is. You can count on that. God is not petty. He doesn't arbitrarily punish people. He is faithful and if we put our trust in Him, He will take care of us. 

Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

You might be reading this and thinking 'wait a minute...how can what I am going through right now be for my good?'. We might not understand God's ways, in fact, the Bible tells us that we can't understand His ways. 

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

So if we can't understand why things happen or where God is in all of this, what are we left with? We're left with trust. We put our trust in God and depend on Him to bring us through. When all is upside down in the world, we can trust God to put it right. When we don't know where to turn or what to do next, we can trust God to guide our steps and show us the way to go. We trust. We don't have to fully understand, He has never asked us to, we just trust Him. There will always be things we can't understand. There will always be terrible things that happen in the world that we can't fix. But we have to determine if we allow those things to turn us against God or bring us to Him. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek His will in all you do,
    and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

A person who refuses to turn to God in a situation like a tragedy is like a person who is lost and when given a map or GPS refuses to use it. God is there waiting for you to turn to Him; waiting for you to trust Him. Only He can bring comfort to you when you need it most. Only He can take the sting out of the hurt you've experienced and only He can direct your paths and protect you. Won't you trust Him today?

⁸