Where is God?

So often in our lives, especially through the difficult times, we feel as if God has abandoned us, as though He has left us to fend for ourselves. I’d be lying if I said I never felt that way. As humans, it’s easy for us to question God’s loyalty when everything around us is falling apart. Fortunately, God promised us that he would never leave us; we will never be forsaken.

When I sit down the Bible I think of how lucky those people were, the people that walked with Jesus. If they had a question, they just asked Him. If they were in need, He was there. Sometimes jealousy takes over, and we forget we have that too. It’s a little bit of a different form, but we have the answers to our questions. Open your Bible. Not only will you find the answers you’re seeking, but you will find GOD. He is there in the pages of the very book HE left for us; God knew we’d need guidance and reassurance. The Bible provides guidance, reassurance, answers, hope, and so much more.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS.”

Where is God? He’s right there,held in your hands. He speaks to us through the Bible, and if we seek Him, we will find Him. 

Ps. 119:151, “Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.”

Rom. 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Read those verses again; they teach us 2 things. First of all, the Lord is near, and second of all, NOTHING can take His love away from us. We find further confirmation of those facts in Hebrews.

Hebrews 13:5-6, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

What reassurance! What hope! How can we read this verse and not know that God is there? How can we read those inspired words (II Tim. 3:16) and question His presence? In Ps. 139:7, the Psalmist basically says (paraphrased), “There is nowhere that I can go that you are not there.” We cannot escape God. We can try to ignore Him; we may even think we are successfully ignoring Him. However, He is still there. He knows everything about us, all that we think, all that we do, even the number of hairs on our head.

There are many examples of people in the Bible that were promised they would never be alone.

In a dream Jacob had, God spoke to him and assured Jacob of His presence in his life. (Gen. 28:15)

God assures the children of Israel that He will not leave them. (Isa. 43:1-3 & Deut. 20:1)

Moses get reassurance from the Lord in Deut. 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Jesus sends his disciples out, commanding them to spread the good news to the world and says He will never leave them. (Matt. 28:20)

I urge you, if you do not feel the presence of the Lord in your life, if you feel alone, open your Bible. He is there (James 4:8). The Psalmist in 23 compares the Lord to a shepard. A shepard NEVER leaves his flock (look at vs 4 of that chapter). I find great comfort in the words of Psalms 46.

Ps. 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Isa. 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

I read those words, and I find comfort, strength, and I know the Lord is near me. He is with me every step of the way.