The Lord is near

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

- Psalm 34v18-19

I think, if we were to brutally honest, we would all have to acknowledge that we ask ourselves, 'Where is God?'

That sounds terrible, doesn't it? Even seeing it in print is just a little bothersome. I have a book on my shelf titled' 'Where is God when it hurts?' Someone wrote that book because they knew the reality of wondering where God was when things we not working out.

It is easy to sense God's presence when we see Him all around, the bills are paid, the kids are well, the sun is shining, and everything is right with the world. We talk about the blessings of God and knowing His presence and how wonderful it is to be walking in the light.

But what about when it is dark and dreary and that heavy clouds is hanging over our heads. What happens when the bills are going into arrears or the kids get sick or a loved one dies or our ministries struggle. Where is God then?

The answer is right here. He is near us when our hearts are broken. He is able to deliver us. The problem is that we are looking the wrong place for solutions and answers.

We are forewarned – 'many are the afflictions of the righteous.' So it is going to be a fact of life – things are going to be hard. But in those struggles we have the promise – 'The Lord delivers them all.'

'Where is God?' He is right here no matter what the troubles. It is up to us to choose to acknowledge His presence or ignore Him and go on our own way.