Where Was God In All Of This?Sýnishorn

At times, the darkness of hate and violence seems to overshadow the beauty in this world. As Believers, the goal of life is to press on for a higher purpose. When tragedy walked up to my family’s doorstep and knocked, I was not as prepared as I thought I was. My faith was challenged on every level. I questioned the goodness of God and his will in all of this. I found little comfort in the words of well-meaning friends. When difficult circumstances arise, you can either give up and quit…or, you can fight through the pain and find answers. I chose to do the latter.

Not everyone has a foundation in the church, the Bible, or a relationship with God. You may have found faith but walked away due to a tragic event, a wound, an unexplainable, life-altering struggle. I could go down the list of cancer, addiction, death of a loved one, crime, accidents, and natural disasters, to name a few reasons people walk away from God. The good news is God never walks away from us. He doesn’t abandon us in our messy emotional struggles. Even in our fits of pain and anger when we question his whereabouts, he understands. Jesus understands.

Hebrews 4:15 (New American Standard Bible) For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus literally experienced the same types of struggles, dilemmas, weaknesses as we did. He was a person with feelings, just like us. He was tempted in the same ways to doubt, to become fearful, angry, and bitter, but Jesus didn’t do any of that. He had the option and opportunity, but because of his RELATIONSHIP to the Father, he remained humble under pressure. He is our example. Jesus is a living example of what it looks like to face the ultimate form of hatred and abuse, yet remain confident in his faith.

Sit with this truth and meditate on Hebrews 4:15 for a moment. Let the lesson of Christ’s suffering sink in. Feel the weight of his love at this moment even if it feels unfamiliar. When we come back tomorrow, we will conclude the devotional with a call to action.