Where is God during my difficult times?

Genesis 37:28So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.

Genesis 39:3The Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.

Genesis 39:20-21So he [Potiphar] took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.

Genesis 40:23Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.

Genesis 41:38So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”

Genesis 50:20-21“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he [Joseph] reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

Joseph’s own brothers had sold him into slavery. The master he had faithfully served threw him into prison based on false charges. The cupbearer Joseph had helped and encouraged in prison forgot about him after being set free, leaving Joseph in prison for two more years. Yet throughout Joseph’s trials, he continued to serve God faithfully and treat others with kindness and respect. God never left Joseph. In fact, he used the terrible things that had happened to place Joseph in a position to save countless lives from a great famine—including Joseph’s own family.

Genesis 3:6-8The woman . . . saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame . . . So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.

Romans 8:20-22Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world. Thus, every person born since then has been born into a fallen world, where sin and its results are the rule, not the exception. The results of sin include suffering, death, and decay. No one is immune to suffering, even the most holy and devout followers of Jesus. Yet we also know this life—and its suffering—is not the end. Because of Jesus, we can look forward to eternal life beyond the grave.

Deuteronomy 8:5“Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.”

Proverbs 3:11-12My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Hebrews 12:5-11Our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Revelation 3:19“I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”

Sin often brings painful consequences. Such consequences are not a sign that God has rejected us. In fact, they may be a sign of God’s love for us. God wants us to understand the pain and destruction that sin causes for us and for our neighbors, helping us to reject that sin firmly. Often, experiencing a portion of sin’s consequences helps build the discipline we need to resist the next temptation. Just as the best earthly parents discipline their children out of love, our heavenly Father’s loving discipline helps us grow and mature to become more like him.

Psalm 22:1-24My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. . . . Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.

God does not always answer prayer immediately or in the way we expect. Sometimes, we feel abandoned by God for reasons that are all too real and painful. Even David felt this way at times. He didn’t simply hide or suppress these feelings. He expressed them honestly to God. Yet David didn’t stop there. He also reminded himself of all the reasons he could trust God’s character—all the ways God had answered his prayers in the past. David’s faith was both honest and hopeful, and it gave him the patience he needed to wait for God to act. As we can see from David’s life, God was indeed faithful.

Matthew 5:10“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

John 15:19-20“The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.”

John 16:33“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

1 Peter 2:20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

1 Peter 4:12-13Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

Jesus promised us that following him would lead to persecution. We should not be surprised or discouraged by human opposition, and we can take heart that God blesses those who are patient in suffering.

Romans 5:3-5We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Galatians 6:9So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

James 1:12God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 1:6-7So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

1 Peter 5:10In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Sin and persecution are not the only sources of trial in our lives. Many trials simply come because we live in a broken world. But God can redeem these obstacles for his good purposes. Often, trials become the fire that refines our spiritual maturity and strengthens our relationship with him.

1 Samuel 12:22“The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.”

Matthew 28:20“Be sure of this: I [Jesus] am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

John 11:32-35When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.

Hebrews 4:14-16So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Suffering in our lives does not mean God has left us. In fact, through suffering we can experience God’s comfort more than ever. We may feel alone in our suffering, but God will not—and cannot—abandon us. He cannot act against his loving and faithful nature. Satan wants us to feel alone and abandoned, separated from God and others. He tells us lies to trick us into avoiding prayer and community with believers. Sometimes, those lies are rooted in true memories of human betrayal and rejection. Sometimes, those lies are rooted in true tragedies such as the death of a loved one. We may never know the intricacies of God’s plan and why he allows what he allows, but we can know that he feels our pain as deeply as we do. Jesus experienced humanity in all its fullness, and that includes human grief and pain.

Psalm 9:10Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

Psalm 27:10Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.

John 14:16“I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.”

2 Corinthians 4:9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

Revelation 3:20“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

God is always pursuing us, trying to get our attention. Are we aware of him? If we are sincerely looking for him, we are sure to find him because God will never abandon anyone who wants a relationship with him. In our difficult times, some of our closest friends and family may neglect or even desert us, but God never will.

Romans 8:31, 38-39What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? . . . And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sometimes we can feel as though everyone has left us or is against us—but God is always with us, for us, and loving us with a deep and faithful love. Even if all others abandon us and the future looks bleak, God remains faithful and active in our lives.