"Why do You stand far off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?" – Psalm 10:1 (MEV)
I'm sure many of us have gone through times of "spiritual darkness" where we can't feel if God is there or if He actually hears us. These times, whether characterized by problems from the outside or struggles on the inside, make us wonder, "where are You, God?"
Have you ever went through that, or are going through it now, and are asking where God is? If you said yes to that, let me encourage you: He's still there.
Still there
The Bible tells us that God is sitting on His throne no matter what happens. Psalm 47:8 tells us,
"God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne."
The truth is that no matter what we go through, God remains unfazed and unmoved. He still reigns over all the earth and everything in creation. Psalm 29:10 encourages us further, saying,
"The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever."
Friend, the Word of God assures us that God cannot be moved. The hardships and darkness that we go through don't change Him, and neither does it make Him change His mind about what He promised us:
"I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (see Hebrews 13:5)
He is there
Friend, when you are going through a difficult time, don't believe the lie that God has abandoned you. Even if you can't feel Him, He is there. And when you are tempted to think that He abandoned you because something bad happened to you, He hasn't.
Think about Paul. This man was shipwrecked three times, left for dead, and went through all sorts of hardships for the sake of the Gospel (see 2 Corinthians 11:24-29). Of all people, Paul had reason to become bitter towards God for allowing him to experience such pain, but he didn't feel that way. He encourages us,
"...If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ... For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (see Romans 8:31-39)
God is there
When you are going through a time of spiritual darkness, remember that God is there and that He will never forsake you. Christ went through that pain, and we can take refuge in the fact that He knows what we feel and will not abandon us.
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
