Have you ever wondered where God is when you need Him most in your life? Some, of the most promising and spectacular words ever spoken by God are found in the book of Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you” (Jeremiah 29:13–14). And sometimes, in our quest for finding God, it appears that He wants to remind us of this extraordinary promise. We’re deeply troubled, so we fervently pray. We’re distressed, so we cry out to God for relief. But sometimes all we hear in reply is a silence so deafening it drowns out every thought but this: God isn’t listening. So we ask, “Has God abandoned me?”
Many believers have experienced the feeling that finding God is difficult or impossible. After C. S. Lewis lost his wife to cancer, he called out to God for comfort but sensed no reply. Confused, he asked, “What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?”
The Scripture speaks of cries for help from those who are intent on finding God: “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?” (Psalm 77:7–8).
This prayer of the psalmist communicates the heart of someone focused on finding God: “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still” (Psalm 83:1).
At times, finding God seems difficult, even for those who have a relationship with Him. Changes in life bring uncertainty: the loss of a job, a divorce, a job promotion, the birth of a child. Some have referred to these unexpected changes in life as “divine interruptions.” Even when the change is positive, it can interrupt our feelings of well-being and leave us feeling alone. The question arises, “Where is God anyway? Why am I having such a difficult time finding God?”
It’s important to remember that, in finding God, the promise of Jeremiah 29:13–14 is never nullified by our subjective feelings. Jeremiah promises that, when we seek God with all our hearts, God will be found. As Paul told the Athenians, God “is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:27–28). As we move through life on our never-ending quest to find God every single day, we must remember to trust His mighty works, and welcome His “divine interruptions.” THAT IS NEVER AN EASY TASK! As the old hymn goes, “trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey!”
Walk closely with your God today!