Hardships and the Christian Walk

"If God exists, then where is He in this?"

That's a question that I hear get asked all the time. When tragedy strikes. When hearts are broken. When lives are ended. When the storm clouds of life roll in. If God is for us--if He truly loves us--then why does He let bad things happen? The honest answer is: I don't really know for sure.The only thing I do know is that "he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:45) 

A few weekends ago, my pastor talked on this subject. He said, "Hardships are a fundamental necessity for balance. Joy is found working through the obstacles." Recently, I had a major disappointment happen in my life. I had been fervently praying and hoping for something. And suddenly, it all seemed possible. It was within reach. Happy tears accompanied my endless prayers of thanks to God. I was walking taller, praising God louder, and telling everyone in sight how big my God is. But then it fell through, like things do in this life from time-to-time. Suddenly, that heart full of gratitude took a 180-degree turn. I was angry. I was hurt. I wanted answers. I stopped thanking God for the situation and I found myself screaming at the top of my lungs, "WHY?!" Then it hit me. Nothing in life is certain. You will meet obstacles. Your heart will get broken. You will feel loss. You will feel hopelessness. But God is still good. He still wants to give you the desires of your heart. He feels your losses, too. In fact, I'd say He feels it more so. He feels us pull away. He feels our disappointments. He feels the anger that wells up inside. He notices praises diminish. And the saddest part is, He already knows when that dream we've been hoping for will come to pass. It's just not right now. 

'"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."' (Jeremiah 29:11)

Hardships are a part of this life. Obstacles are an opportunity to grow. My hardships have taught me patience, compassion, gratitude and humility. They teach me how to love people better. They teach me how to thank God in spite of my circumstances. And hardships can do the same for you. It just depends on how you look at the situation. Do you look at obstacles as a reason to walk away from God? Or do you look at them as a way to see God do something miraculous in your life?

So, where is God in this? He's one prayer away. He never promised that this life would be easy; he promised to always stand beside us--to fight for us.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)