The God Who Is Concerned

There’s a phrase that has become popular as mental health conversations have come to be less of a taboo subject: “It’s okay to not be okay.” Those words give people who are struggling permission to take off the mask, to stop pretending that all is well, and to accept where they are. It is okay to not be okay. But I’d add that it’s okay to want to be okay. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be safe. There’s nothing wrong with needing comfort. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be okay. It’s just human.

For most of my life, I believed that God’s attitude toward me was one of loving indifference. God was an Authoritarian Leader—aware of my pain but not concerned about me personally.

There was an ache inside of me, yearning to feel safe, but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was. What more could I possibly need? I believed that God was only concerned about me to the extent of my usefulness to His Kingdom, and I didn’t even think to ask for anything else. I never would have admitted that I wanted His comfort.

There’s a beautiful passage in Exodus that displays both the concern and protective nature of our Creator:

The Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings, and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (3:7-8, CSB)

The way God cared for the Israelites is the way He cares for all of us. He isn’t just aware of the things that plague us; He’s also concerned about the way those things affect us. He has a rescue plan—not just to deliver us from evil but to bring us to a place of rest and peace. Your desire for peace and safety comes from a hardwired inner knowledge that this is possible. Whether He does or doesn’t answer your prayer the way you hope, you’re right to wonder if you’ll be okay.

When we’re facing terrible things, we don’t know if we’ll end up sitting in the ashes of what we’ve lost or rejoicing in the sunlight of a miracle. When we’re waiting to see where our story ends up, we need to hold on to who God is, not to what we hope He’ll do for us. We need to believe that He’s Good, yes, but also that He’s Good to us.

Interested in learning more about how you can approach God if you're struggling to believe in His Goodness? Learn about Kristen LaValley and her story in Even If He Doesn't: What We Believe about God When Life Doesn't Make Sense. Find more information here: www.kristenlavalley.com/evenifhedoesnt