There

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

Psalm 10:1, 17

    Have you ever felt like the Psalmist?  Have you ever felt like God is distant?  In times of great need and in moments of trial have you ever felt like God has hidden Himself from you?  If so, know that you are not alone.  Know Christian, that men and women have felt like this throughout the ages.  It is quite natural to feel this way.  We mistakenly believe that if we are going through trouble then God must not be close. We wrongly assume that if God is near then we should not be experiencing the current trials.  So, when the trials come do not be surprised by the feelings of distance.  At first, we will wonder, “Where is God?”  We will ask questions just like Psalmist.  There are three things we must understand about this; The first is what I have just mentioned…that it is quite normal to ask these questions.  The second is that is perfectly fine to bring these questions before God.  There might arise in us a fear that questions like these displease God.  We might think that it is wrong to even think such a thing.  This is not true, though, because the Psalmist quite freely and openly asks these questions without reproach.  The Psalmist is bring his heart before his God and simply asking what he feels.  This is always allowed and encouraged by our God.  Finally, once we understand the normalcy and freedom with which we can bring these questions we must understand that we are mightily mistaken about God’s presence.  We must remember that simply because we are going through a trial does not mean that God is distant.  Instead, it is exactly the opposite.  This is why the end of Psalm 10 must be read with the beginning.  The Psalmist, after asking his questions comes around to remembering that his God, our God, always hears the cries of His people.  The God over all the universe is Jehovah Shammah, the God who is there!  This is our God, the One who hears the cries of the afflicted.  The One who gives to us His ear.  In our trouble, after we have felt as though God is distant we must remember who our God is that He has promised to hear us and make His presence known.  Are you going through trials now?  Know that God hears you and is there.  When you go through trials in the days to come remember this truth.  Remember Psalm 10 and be encouraged by our God who is there!  Amen.  

PRAYER OF THE DAY: God, thank you for being there.  Help me to remember this when the days of trouble come.