Where is God when we need him? I have been asked many times about how come God lets bad things happen. Good people die too soon. People lose their jobs every day. Houses are foreclosed, and families are left with nowhere to go. Children go to bed hungry every night. Wars are constantly being fought all over the world. Where is God in all of this?
If you are not a believer, it is hard for you to see why things happen the way they do. Sometimes as Christians we don't even understand the rhyme or reason. I hate to say it, but it is not for us to know why. God did not create us to know why he does what he does when he does it. It is human nature to question where is God through all of our struggles. We need to teach ourselves to accept his will no matter how hard it seems.
Where is God through my suffering?
Romans 8:18 NASB “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
God sees all of our sufferings. We might pray several times a day or from sun up to the sun down. Just because we pray, doesn't mean that our prayers are answered in the way we want them to be. God answers all prayers the way he wants them answered. He has his plan.
I was talking to an employee of mine a while back. He is a believer. His mother died of cancer twenty years ago. Her death caused him to loose his faith. He told me that he prayed and prayed for her to get better. She was a Christian and a good woman. My employee could not get over how God could let something so bad happen to someone so good. After this experience, he walked away from his faith. He still believes in God but has lost faith.
How do we understand suffering?
1 Peter 5:10 NASB “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
I explained this to him as an example. What if someone died in a car accident? This person was one of the best people that you would ever meet. They were kind and generous. This person was a role model for many. Why would God take such a great person so soon? What if that person died to save someone else? What if God used the life of this individual to lead others to him. Let's say the person that died had a Bible verse on the bumper sticker of their car? What if someone that saw the verse was a nonbeliever? This person went online to search what the verse said. What if this person continued to read other verses, eventually finding God?
Would the death of the good person be in vain? Good can come from bad. Where is God when bad things happen? Where is God when we need him? He is always there. He always hears you. His plan may be to use your life or the life of your loved one for his Kingdom. We may never know why, but God does. God is always working through us and around us. We must have faith in his will. It is a hard leap of faith, but we are in the creator's hands.