“Where Are You God?” 

Is it just me or do you also not trust anyone who says they’ve lived lives free of struggle, hurt, or discouragement? Individuals who claim to have lived perfect lives receive, from me, the same response received by couples that say they never argue – a rolling of the eyes. So this post is only for those who have some battle scars left from scuffles with Life, herself.

One of my favorite books growing up was “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” but it’s not until adulthood that I think back to my teen years, when I read this book, that I’ve realized I did not quite understand what just happens to be one of the largest similarities to cross racial, religious, political, and gender lines – the questioning of God’s existence.

“Are you there God? Why do I waste my breath on what appear to be unanswered prayers?”

When I started out as a Christian counselor I found myself fearing that moment when my clients, people who would find themselves broken and struggling to pick up the pieces, would ask me THE dreaded question: “Where is God in all of this mess?”

“My daughter is hurting and filling her void with men who are just using her. Where is God?”

“My husband is detached from the family and prefers to work late hours to spending time with our kids. Where is God?”

“I was taken advantage of night after night by my stepfather. Where was God?”

“She just walked out on me with no explanation. Where is God?”

“My mother was the godliest woman I know. Why didn’t he heal her? Where was God?”

“I’ve faithfully tithed week after week. How could He have allowed me to get laid off? Where is God?”

And see if I was to be completely honest, I feared that question because it was one that’d remained unanswered for me. When asked that question by a client, family member, or a non-believer, I’d automatically play back my mental footage of all of those moments I’d asked the same thing – unsure of the answer to the question “Where is God in all of this chaos?”

And my question for you today is, “Where are you?”

“Where are you in your unwavering faith?” Matthew 21:21

“Where are you in your steadfast belief in a loving God?” Romans 8:37-39

“Where are you in your hope for God’s promises for your life?” Isaiah 41:13

But see where are you when life happens? We expect God to be consistent, reliable, and stable (which He is), but then don’t act consistently, reliably, and stable ourselves when trials collide with our day to day lives. How is it that, with an attitude of entitlement, we expect God to be faithful, yet we are so quick to doubt His faithfulness when we don’t receive the answer to our prayers in the exact packaging that we’d hoped for?

We often ask, “Where are you God?” while He is simultaneously asking us, “Where are you?”