Where Is God?

Hardly any of us have had such terrible experiences as Job: the loss of all his possessions, the murder of his entire workforce, the terrible death of his own ten children, the onset of an agonizing, incurable illness, and then opposition from the last remaining person, his wife. Obviously, Job had doubts as to whether God was really with him (cf. Job 35:9,10).

In difficult situations, we, too, can come to the point of questioning God's presence, care, and love. Has God forgotten me? If he loves me, why this suffering? Isn't that unfair?

In this life crisis, Job received the above encouragement from the mouth of Elihu - and it can also apply to us: "Although you say you do not see Him, yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him." Another possible interpretation of the Hebrew word is "case," implying that our case is "on God's desk." This expression conveys the concept of divine omniscience and justice, indicating that God is fully aware of all human matters. It resonates with the biblical teaching that God is a righteous judge (PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More 7:11) and that nothing escapes His sight (Hebrews 4:13).

In other words: Even if you do not feel the presence of the Lord, you may trust that He will take care of your matter accurately. Trust Him!

Ultimately, this is what faith is all about - trusting even when you can't see anything. Just like Moses, who was only steadfast and strong because he saw the unseen, so to speak (Heb 11:27). This blind and childlike trust honors God. One consequence of this is peace in our hearts. We want to be encouraged to trust the Lord even (and especially) when circumstances seem to make it look as if He is not there. Even if we do not see Him - He never leaves us alone!

"Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God." (Isa 50:10)