Where is God When I am Struggling?

“Rise up, be our help, And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.”

Psalm 44:26

Dear Kids,
Sometimes it is tempting to wonder, “Where is God?” On the days when everything goes right it’s easy to have faith. But on the days when everything goes wrong – well, that’s a different story! Questions and doubts pop up like weeds among the rubble of broken dreams and unanswered prayers. How do we move forward with assurance when we feel all alone and confused? It is by remembering the past, rehearsing our pain, and reaching out to God in prayer.

Where is God When I am Struggling?

Curled up in my large red-leather recliner early one morning I thought about all the difficulties I had encountered over the recent months. Some mere annoyances pecked at my sanity, but other massive trials trampled my heart. I wondered why we must suffer and why God doesn’t jump in and immediately fix our problems and heal our hearts. Where is God when I am struggling?

The writer of Psalm 44 had similar questions. Although we don’t know the circumstances behind the song, the sentiments reveal the confusion and pain of the author.

“You have rejected us.”

“You give us as sheep to be eaten.”

“You make us a reproach to our neighbors.”

Remember the Past and Rehearse Your Pain

These are the words of someone suffering through disappointment and discouragement as he wondered, “Where is God?” Yet the writer had a purpose in his writing. He starts the Psalm remembering the past and thanking God for all the mighty victories He has won over powerful enemies.

Next he honestly rehearses a litany of reasons why he is struggling. He can’t understand where God is in the circumstances he faces and he even wonders aloud if God is sleeping. He searches his heart and mind and can’t find any reason why God would be so silent. He hasn’t followed after foreign gods or turned away from God’s path, so there seems to be no reason why God would hide Himself.

Reach Out to God in Prayer

But after pouring out all the wretchedness in his heart he grasps onto God’s faithfulness and reaches out in desperate prayer. “Rise up, be our help, And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.” Deep down the Psalmist knows the truth. God never changes. He always hears our cries. He never sleeps. And He always comes through because His lovingkindness never fails.

Answers from the Apostle Paul

The Apostle Paul sheds more light on the age-old quandary when he quotes Psalm 44 in his letter to the Romans. Paul understood better than most that trials are part of life. But in them he was confident that “neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing would ever separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I thought about my own difficulties – my father’s unexpected death, other personal trials that plague me, and numerous prayers for wisdom and peace in discouraging situations that haven’t seen any real answers yet. And I felt comforted to know I am not alone in the struggle. Down through the centuries God’s people have faced trials and remained confident in God’s love and care.

God’s Lovingkindness Never Fails

So when your heart cries out, “Where is God?” take heart. Like these examples of faith we too must remember the past, honestly rehearse our pain, and reach out to God in prayer. When we do we will understand, as Paul and the Psalmist did, that whether it’s a good day or a bad day the story remains the same. God is near. He’s not sleeping. And He will come through because His lovingkindness never fails!

Love,

Mama

Psalm 44

Romans 8:31-38

For more on suffering read Find the Help and Healing You Need