Where is God? (A true story)

By Martha Noebel
CBN Staff Writer

CBN.com - The pain is so great: Watching my brother and his family suffer at the hands of the "churched", my brother-in-law losing his job, my husband's back surgery which wiped out our savings, the tree that fell on our house, and my mom diagnosed with skin cancer, all just before Christmas. Where is God?

In Ohio, my brother and his wife were pastoring a church and without notice, were asked to leave. (Thanks board members.) They were given 30 days to leave the parsonage, find a new job, housing, etc. Christmas is near and now every penny they have is going toward moving expenses and survival until he can find another job. There are many questions and much pain… Where is God?

My brother-in-law was working for God as hard as any soul could. He pastors a new church, works at a local Christian ministry, encourages other ministers in his community, and serves as a husband and father to two children. He had just provided a wonderful wedding for his oldest child. Now, he is laid off from work and the bills are mounting… Where is God?

Thanks to my husband's unexpected third back surgery, all our savings are depleted and the infamous plastic card is now used for the basics. To make matters more interesting, the tree in the back yard fell down on our house during a mild windstorm. It is a few weeks before Christmas and we are just now beginning to get back on our feet. The deductible for the repairs is $500.00. Great, now what? Where is God?

Mom is facing a dreaded surgery on her face to remove the skin cancer. (Date of surgery: 4 days before Christmas) Where is God?

I think you are getting the drift by now. Our family is being stretched to the max. Only one sister seems not to be struggling. (Thank God for that.)

We need answers, but more than that we need help! Where is God? I asked him for answers and He brought me to Habakkuk 2:2-3:

"Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Then in verse 4 it says, "but the just shall live by his faith."

God is certainly putting vision in all of my family. We just could not see it at that moment. How can God take all this confusion and struggle and cause it to fade away. Then I was reminded how in Chapter 3, verses 17 and 18 of Habakkuk, I should feel. It brought the answer to me resoundingly clear. It says,

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

Our faith is truly being tested. But God is sweetly reminding me that He has not forgotten us. We are not alone. If we continue holding on to the visions that God is placing in our hearts: to trust Him, and rejoice, then the answers will come.

The Lord is our strength! He will make our feet like hinds' feet, and He will make us to walk upon the high places. (Habakkuk 3:19)

Even as I write, my faith is so encouraged. We will rise above all our problems. We are the head and not the tail. God is for us, so who can be against us?

So where is God? He was only a prayer away. Try it.