Where Is God When We Need Him Most?

This life is not easy. Each of us face challenging and difficult times in our lives. We may be in a place of financial hardship, illness, loss of a loved one, a disaster, a heartache, stressful atmospheres, emotional despair, intense worry and so much more.

When we find ourselves in a desperate situation or in a place of suffering, we may feel that God is not there. We may have prayed over and over asking God to step in and intervene, to save us, to heal a loved one, to resolve an issue. Yet we see no response, no resolution, no answer. We may feel abandoned in our darkest hour. And we may struggle to believe that God will never leave or forsake us. We wonder where He is.

While we know the promises of God, what we feel at the moment battles against what we know is true. How do we remain standing in such a battle? How do we restore our hearts and minds? And most importantly, how do we restore our hope and faith in God?

First, we need to --move forward and let go-- once we have placed our troubles in God's Hands. We let go and let God. There is a quote I heard recently that left a great impression upon me:

"When I'm worried, I say a little prayer because it lets me give my worries away instead of letting them weigh me down. And I know God will take them from me." (From the movie, "An Easter Bloom")

When we endlessly focus on asking for what we need or want, we are not letting ourselves rest in God.

We read in ‭Philippians 4:6-7,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

We receive the "peace of God" once we have presented our requests to him and let go. We have to trust God that He heard our prayer and will work out everything for the good, even when it doesn't seem like it to us. When we are in the Kingdom of God, we will be able to look back at the difficulties of our life and finally understand the whole picture. Until then, we just have to trust and persevere in God's promises.

We read in Jeremiah 29:11

"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Secondly, we need to stop focusing on what we don't have. We need to stop focusing on unanswered prayers. Instead, we need to focus on all the good that God has provided and give Him thanks.

We can give thanks for the birds singing in the trees, the colorful flowers of spring, and all of His beautiful creation.

We can give thanks for a roof over our head, food on our plate, clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in, a devoted pet, good neighbors, family and friends, or a church family.

We can give thanks for his mercies being new every morning and the positive areas of our health and abilities.

We can give thanks for His holy word, our deliverance and salvation in Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the promise of a future with no more pain and no more tears, and the list goes on.

We continue reading in Philippians 4:8-9,
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of PEACE will be with you."

Focusing our minds on the blessings of God and on the positive, results in another promise of God's peace dwelling within us. So when we give our requests over to God and then focus on the blessings, we can have peace, no matter our situation.

Lastly, while we are waiting for prayers to be answered as God sees fit and in His perfect timing, we can ask Him for strength, courage, patience, peace and rest as we endure our time of distress. We can ask Him to teach us, guide us, give us wisdom and strengthen our faith during these times. Our loving Father promises to always be with us through difficulties.

We read in ‭Isaiah 43:2,
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

So even if we don't see our prayers get answered from our perspective, we can be assured that God is with us and we will not be consumed.

There is a poem which perfectly expresses this truth about our Lord's faithfulness to us. It is called "Footprints"

"One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you. Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

Our God is right where He has always been.
Faithfully and lovingly by our side.
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