Experiencing God's Presence #261

If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his court.

Job 23:3

Job had questions. Painful ones. He was going through an excruciating season of disease, calamity, and conflict. He felt abandoned, although he had no idea why. He had always been faithful to God, and God seemed distant. He would have gladly pleaded his case before the divine throne, if only he could have found it. But God was nowhere to be found.

This God who has promised us His Presence—and, since Pentecost, has promised that His Spirit dwells within us—allows us to go through dark and painful seasons. Our pleas for His intervention seem to go unnoticed; our questions remain unanswered; our problems linger. Where is He in our pain? He doesn’t say. We have theological answers to such questions, and we trust that He is near. But we long for His touch—and His solutions. We want Him to fix things for us.

Job 23 ends with a lament that “thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.” How do we respond to God at such times? We may not have the same friends Job had, but we hear their voices: “You must have sinned.” “He has abandoned you.” “You made the wrong decision.” “God doesn’t work that way.” “His promises don’t apply the way you thought they did.” And on and on. The accusations and doubts are relentless. They seem to speak much louder than God does.

Don’t listen to them. The voices lie. Yes, there are dark times in a believer’s life, but God is still there. He honors faith that survives the darkest nights. He strengthens souls with the most painful instruments. And in the end, His gifts and glory compensate for any hardship we had to face.

Father, thank You that seasons of darkness are rare, and thank You for the knowledge that they are only temporary. Do what You need to do in me, but please let me feel the encouragement of Your touch often.

From the book