"Where Is God?"

  It seems more and more people are wondering where is God. I'm not speaking of the agnostic or atheist. I'm speaking of Christian men and women, hiding behind masks of hurt, disappointment and bewilderment. It seems to be an endless parade that "God loves us" is placed before us and to some, they understand what that means. To others, they hear it but aren't sure. The love of God has been placed before many as a non-hurting, non-suffering God and people are looking around wondering where this is.

  God's love for us is placed before us to be shown in our love for one another. What do many do with this? Love is made into a 'hugging, touchy, feel-good' love that just warms our hearts with little fuzzies when we see one another. In the process, God is missed because that's not the love of God. God's love involves discipline when needed, siding with what is right in His eyes and correcting those when they are in sin.

  Take Paul who was imprisoned on numerous occasions, took beatings and stonings yet he knew the love of Christ was what controlled his life (II Cor. 5:14). What did Paul know and those other apostles that we are missing? Maybe we are really missing God and what His love for us stands for. We look at the pain and suffering, sometimes our very own and are left wondering is this what it means to walk with the Lord?

  A friend of mine said it best in a sermon I heard him preach. He said everything about God didn't start in the lights of a city, the hustle and bustle of mankind but God's love started in a lonely, deserted wilderness. It was in that wilderness God dwelt among His people, taught His people, took care of His people, disciplined His people and shaped His people. Some lost their lives in rebellion. But one thing was for sure, God used the wilderness to bring people to Himself. Maybe we need to realize not all our lives are going to set well, sometimes lonely, sometimes filled with goodness but whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, God loves and His love for us does not wain. It's our love and faith in Him and even when we show faithlessness, He remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself (II Tim. 2:13).