Where is God?

The following is an e-mail conversation I had with a blog reader, shared with his permission. Please feel free to add your comments and testimony below.

Hi Trina
I was asked by someone - where is God when people are starving or dieing and their homes are being destroyed by fire, flood or tornadoes. Where is God when governments are killing or mistreating their people. Where is God when his children are homeless or being taken away from their families and sometimes misteated just for the sake of greed and money. I come to deal with these questions when I am fighting the government for the way our people have been treated here at Fairview and area and when I work on our land claim and try to make a better life for our children who are in adoption processes in CFSA. I would like your view of this.
Thanks
Dave C

Oo - good question! I think it is like the Footprints poem. God is alway by our side. Sometimes when we go through really tough junk, he carries us along. This life was designed with the challenges that will give us the strength to become more like Christ. I think of it like an athlete training for Olympic gold. We know that if someone is going to get Olympic gold they are going to have to push themselves farther, faster, deeper and believe in achieving that goal. They are going to have to want that gold more than anything else and make great sacrifices through their devotion and commitment to achieving that goal. That makes sense to us, right. To become stronger, an athlete is going to have to push themselves beyond their past accomplishments, to lift heavier and heavier weights, run farther and faster than they've ever done.

Each of us is in our own personal competition to become like God, to be perfect as he is perfect, and to return to live with Him someday. To do that we are going to need increasingly more difficult challenges through our lives. As we develop the strength of our faith we are going to need heavier weights so to speak.

Sometimes we are just off the track altogether - God sends messages through famines, floods, calamities, etc.

Sometimes it is just a test of our already strong faith.

Sometimes problems and upheaval come as a consequence of collective sin as an invitation to repent.

Sometimes we don't know the reasons things happen. We don't know the mind and will of God. We trust that we are the clay in the potter's hands and that he will bring exactly the experiences in our lives that we need to become like him and/or to help others through similar situations.

With your permission I would love to open this question up to a wider audience by posting it on the blog and seeing what other people have to say.

Thank you for your question and your faith.

God bless,

Trina

Hi Trina
Thanks for giving me MORE reasons to trust God's judgement - I do believe that no one else can give us and keep the promise "I will never leave or forsake you" I KNOW OUR FAITH AND TRUST IS TESTED DAILY - BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO HARSH FOR THE INNOCENT CHILDREN AND THE HELPLESS AND DOWNTRODDEN. My sisters say " you're so lucky" but I tell them how easy is it is to ask for and receive God's favor and love. I tell them, when we worry or doubt God's love - we are sinning against His word.
Please feel free to share my view. It's good to talk to some one who cares and can give a firm answer filled with love and faith.
Thank You

Dave C