Where is God in all of this?

Sometimes finding God in the midst of your situations can seem like a giant game of “Where’s Waldo?”

(photo courtesy of Google Images)

If you’re like me, every now and then you experience dry seasons in your life. They are those times when nothing seems to be going on in your life and/or everything seems to be going wrong. Nothing fresh or new is happening. You may feel like you’ve been stripped of everything and reduced down to nothing. Or you may just feel lost and have no idea of which way to go. And in the midst of all of that you feel like God is nowhere to be found. I have been there before. I was dealing with being laid off from my job, not having a source of steady income, not hearing back from jobs that I applied for, all while dealing with adjusting to adulthood and a slight “quarter-life crisis.” I had become apathetic not just towards life but both spiritually and emotionally as well. I frequently found myself asking in desperation, “God where are you?”

I was journaling one day and asking God this very question and He responded to me, “Where have you left me?”  That is the real question. I automatically felt convicted because I knew I had been neglecting Him at a time when I needed Him the most. Your dry season may not be exactly how mine was but the question still remains, “Where have you left God?” You complain that God does not seem to be present or that He is not hearing, speaking to and guiding you but the reason you may not be hearing Him is because you have removed Him from the situation. Oftentimes, when dry seasons or tough times come, we tend to run away from God when we should be running to Him. In my case, I did just that. I had become so overwhelmed by my situation that instead of seeking God for clarity and direction, I ran away from Him. It wasn’t that I was mad at Him or felt like He was to blame for what was happening. I had just become so discouraged and disappointed to the point that I didn’t even feel like praying to Him. That was because I had let Him graciously exit stage left right out of my situation. The crazy thing is that I knew that I needed to seek Him more diligently but I didn’t. Then I would get upset because I didn’t feel like He was around…really Crystal? Have several seats.

I believe that God is as close to you as you want Him to be. That is why it’s important to stay connected to Him at all times but especially in those dry seasons so that you can stay focused on Him and hear what it is that He is trying to reveal to you during that time. Don’t let your situation deter you from seeking God. It is in the times when we don’t know what to do or where to go that we must really cling to and draw close to God. There is always a reason and a plan behind what He does, don’t miss out on it because you’ve removed Him from it.

Scriptures to encourage:

1 Chronicles 16:11 (ESV) “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.”

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

James 4:8 (NIV) Come near to God and he will come near to you…”

“If you no longer feel close to God…who moved?” -Unknown