Healing Combat TraumaSample

Where was God?

When a person experiences a horrible event, when evil seems to triumph, the innocent are harmed, or a random, unexpected incident results in destruction and death, it’s natural to ask, “Where was God? Why didn’t He prevent this?” This is a normal response to tragedy. If you’ve ever asked this question, you are not alone.

“Where was God when I got shot?” “Where was He when that IED flipped our Humvee, killing my best friends?” “Did He go AWOL? Is He a deserter?” It might have felt like that, but He was right there with you, weeping over your dead friends just as He wept at the tomb of His friend, Lazarus (John 11:30-36). While there is a day coming when Jesus will eliminate all evil, death, and tragedy, in the meantime, He is walking beside you and anguishing over the pain you are experiencing. He is not distant. He is not disinterested. He is more present than you can imagine.

While tragedy did strike, He has and is protecting you in countless other ways. You may be well aware of the bullets and shrapnel – both literal and metaphorical – that wounded your body and your mind, but do you know about all the ones He deflected to keep you alive? One thing’s for sure: if you belong to God, you have never been outside of His sovereign care and protection. You may not know about all the things God has protected you from on this side of heaven. He is always with you, carefully orchestrating the chaos of life, combat, and everything in between to keep you alive and bring glory to Himself.

God is and has always been in control, but He’s not controlling. We all know “control freaks” who seem invested in your life but don’t really care about you—they just want to control you. God is the opposite of a control freak. His control isn’t about forcing you to do anything. He loves you, and He wants your love in return. No strings attached. And His love can begin to heal the wounds of the trauma you’ve experienced. You may have wondered, “Where was God?” The answer is, He was always there. Loving you.

Thought of the Day: Through the darkest moments of combat and the deepest hurts of my life, God has always been with me, loving me, protecting me, and guiding me through.