Where Is God When You Need Him?

It's a question I've heard a lot. It comes in different forms but it's basically the same sentiment being expressed: why did this happen to me? If God is so good, then why...? If God can do anything, why didn't He stop my brother, mother, father, son or daughter from dying? Where is God when I needed Him?

It's not a new question. It's been asked from the dawn of time. It was asked by Job - in the oldest book in the Bible. It was asked by King David, a "man after God's own heart." It was asked by Jeremiah, and it's being asked by many today.

The reason that the question is asked is because we're human, and we don't like pain. It's asked of Christians because we believe that what the Bible says is true: that evil is evil; that God is all good; and that God is all-powerful. The argument from some is that one of those statements must be false. Either there's no such thing as evil, as some Eastern religions would teach (evil is an illusion), or God is not all good, or God is not all-powerful. It's called the trilemma.

But when we actually look a little deeper in the Bible we find the answers revealed in the story of mankind. The Bible teaches us that evil is evil, but it doesn't belong here. The world was not created with evil; we were placed in a world without evil, but rebelled and chose our own way. The Bible teaches that God is all good - and He created each of us with freedom of choice. That freedom comes at a cost - sometimes we choose poorly and a price must be paid, often by innocent others. The Bible also teaches that God is all-powerful, but, for a time, allows us to face the consequences of our choices and to, perhaps, change course and find our way home.

So, the Biblical response to the question can be answered with three statements.

• All is not as it should be. We live in a fallen world - a world at war. The Biblical view begins with a protest: "This is not right!" We see this as Jesus Christ, the Son of God, stood before the tomb of His friend, Lazarus and wept (John 11). Many find this an odd verse, seeing that Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. But I believe He wasn't weeping for Lazarus. I believe He was weeping for Mary and Martha, the grieving sisters of Lazarus, and for each of us who suffer pain and abuse. He wept because this was not the way that the world was intended to be. When we weep, we echo the sentiments of Jesus at this moment - this is not the way it was meant to be.
• We are not abandoned. Part of the beauty of Christianity is that it reveals a God of compassion who enters into our suffering and becomes one of us. Jesus is a suffering Savior first. As has been said by others, Christianity has the only God with scars. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Like David wrote in his beautiful Psalm 23, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." It wasn't just words either. Jesus Christ willingly went to the cross accomplishing redemption for lost humanity. The cross also brought about healing to broken and wounded humanity. It was and is a message of hope in a sometimes dark world.
• He will make all things right. It sounds trite, but it is true that our perspective is limited, and God sees things much differently than we do. The world is a hard place; sometimes bad things happen to good people, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't care. He has promised that one day all will be made right. Jesus declared, "I make all things new." We long for justice - and justice will be done. We long for what the Jews call "Shalom" - the peace of God. It is the coming of the Kingdom of God into our world. There is a sense in which this Kingdom is to come - some day, heaven. But there is also a sense in which it comes now, in the victories that we can gain right here, right now.       

God calls us to live our lives in light of two very different realities. One is that we live in this fallen, messed up world, and we're to make of it the very best that we can. The second is that we recognize that we are made for eternity, and the way that we live can affect eternity. So to make the most of our lives is to help others become all that they were created to be. St. Francis of Assisi had it right when he wrote these famous words:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen 

Where is God when you need Him? He's right there with you. No matter what you're going through, He is there. The greater question for most of us is where are we when God calls us to make a difference?

Related Articles: 

The Power of Forgiveness 

Which Me Will You Be? 

Repacking the baggage of our lives

A New Look At Justice 

The Great Paradox

 

  

Developing Great Habits

Over the next week I'm going to be reposting some of the most popular posts from the past few years. I think they're still relevant. I hope you do as well. This was originally posted in August of 2011.

I recently finished reading Chip Ingram's book: "Good To Great in God's Eyes."  I'm going to build off a section he included in his last chapter. It's on the subject of change.

Each of us, at some point (or many points) sees the need for change. John Maxwell says that "People change when they hurt enough that they have to, learn enough that they want to, or receive enough that they are able to." I've tried to be one of those people who learn enough that I want to change. I'm trusting that there are a few more people like that out there; that's the reason for this series.

I don't think that many people understand the power of habits. As has been said many times, in many ways: first we form our habits; then our habits form us. You are, in fact, what you repeatedly do. I have many habits, some good, some... not so much. I happen to like routine. So, for me, after showering and dressing, I've made it a habit of spending time reading my Bible and praying to start my day - a good habit. Then I hop in my car and it drives itself to Tim Horton's where I pick up my coffee and a bagel - not as good.

I've spoken to many people who have easily identified the bad habits they have, but who have either no desire or no power to break them. Why does it matter? As Chip says in his book, "We need to grasp the fact that the sum of our good and bad habits will dictate who we will become. The kind of man or woman you will be in five, ten or twenty years from now will be determined by the habits you have today." If my habits have that kind of power, I want to make certain that they're good ones; not bad ones.

Thomas a Kempis, the 15th century mystic, hit on a great truth; that "Habit is overcome by habit." What he meant is that simply quitting a bad habit won't do. It leaves a void that, if not dealt with, will usually result in the resumption of the bad habit at some point in the not too distant future. We see examples of this every year at New Years. We make resolutions, then quickly abandon them, largely because we try to change by sheer will power. Few succeed.

Scientific studies vary on how long it takes to change a habit. The estimates vary anywhere from 18 days for some to two months or more for others. Understanding this can help us to change. If I think about the fact that, for the rest of my life I will no longer drink coffee, for example, the thought of that either can keep me from trying to break the habit or cause me to quit after a week or so. If however, I decide to replace my morning coffee ritual with a fruit smoothie, for example, and that I will do this every day for 30 days, I am more likely to find success and to make a permanent positive change in my lifestyle.

What we want is to make our habits work for us. One of the examples I often think of is Charles Swindoll, a prolific Christian writer and pastor. When he was a young man he had a desire to write and believed that it was something he should do. The problem was that he could never find the time in his busy schedule to write. Because it was a priority, he determined to find a way to do this. He made a commitment that he would arise one hour earlier each day and that he would give that hour to writing. This commitment resulted in a lifelong habit that has seen Charles, now in his late 70s, produce more than 70 books, including at least 12 Gold Medallion Award winners.

Not all of us will have such dramatic success as Charles Swindoll. However, I believe that each of us can use the power of habit to our advantage instead of to our detriment. Why not start by identifying one habit in your life that you would like to change, and one good habit that you would like to replace it with. Over the next few days I'll be writing a six-part series on "How To Make Positive Change" based on Chip's book. I hope you find it helpful.

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