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God, Where are You?

What would you wish for if you had just one wish? I know what I would wish for at this moment.
There comes a time in your life when it appears God becomes distant. That He is so far away and doesn't hear your cry. Or, you ask Him for help and things only seem to get worse. You feel that you are doing all the right things. The things you read about in the Bible. Yet, you still feel abandoned by God or even that you are being punished for some reason. You feel lost and think the God that you read about in the Bible is not the one you are currently experiencing. Sometimes, the plans and thoughts of God make no sense to you.
I don't have all the answers. Not sure that I can bring real comfort my words today to those currently in pain or feeling a sense of abandonment. The best that I can do, I guess, is to go to the Scriptures and see what they say. Maybe they can bring you comfort to those of you that need it, in a way that my simple writings may fall short.
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" Psalm 34:18
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9
"So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" Isaiah 41:10
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" Psalm 23:4
"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing" Zephaniah 3:17
"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" Matthew 18:20
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" Psalm 139: 7-10
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." John 10:27-30
"For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord. 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" Jeremiah 29:11
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" Isaiah 40:31
"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one" 2 Thessalonians 3:3
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16
That's a lot of passages which speak to where God is in relation to us. Sometimes it can be hard to believe, but He doesn't abandon us in our times of trials. We are not guaranteed an absence of pain here just because we believe in Him. Look throughout the Scriptures. We don't know why God allows certain things to occur in our lives. Just know that there is a bigger plan, one that we don't sometimes easily see.
As I said, I really don't have the right words that can comfort when you feel a sense of abandonment or that you are unheard by God. When things only get worse when you appeal to God. Wish I could make it better. Know that I am praying for you and that God's mysteries will be revealed. Know that you are not abandoned, God does hear your cries and that His intentions are for the best in your lives. Even when it seems like the opposite.


"Lord, I need you" sung by Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rR_Rdb1CTE



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