Where was God when the terrible things happened and my world fell apart?

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Lamentations 3:33 “For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”

You may not have even been born in the 1950’s, but I’m sure you’ve heard of “Leave it to Beaver.” Ward and June Cleaver were the perfect parents, and any problems Wally or Beaver (mostly Beaver) had could be solved with their gentle wisdom in 30 minutes. Wouldn’t it be great if life were really that simple?

The reality of life is much different from the Cleaver sitcom. We lived with two imperfect parents if we had two parents at all. They didn’t always have the answers and, if fact, may or may not have had any wisdom. For many people, one or both parents were absent, substance abuse was prevalent, and the needs of the kids weren’t met. The children may have been neglected, abandoned, rejected or even abused.

I know people who are suffering as adults too. They’ve been betrayed or abandoned, the spouse or loved one wants out of the relationship, or they’ve been rejected and ignored by their own kids. They’ve waited for years to find someone and yet they’re still alone. There’s sickness, heartache, sorrow or an aching loneliness, and they can’t help but wonder why a loving God has allowed them to suffer like this. Where was God when those things happened.

The answer is simple. God was and is where He always is…“behind you and before you, with you when you sit down or stand up, seeing everything and hearing every word that is said.” (Psalm 139:1-5) According to verse 3, God “compasses” our path.

Compass is an old English word that means to encircle something. It also means to contrive or use something to accomplish a specific purpose. What a wonderful word to describe how God uses the hurts of our lives for our good and His glory!

Without going into the grim details of my childhood, I can tell you that living with a brutally violent and then absent father and a mentally ill mother takes dysfunction into a whole new category. Many years ago, I was chatting with a friend, who was a Christian counselor and who knew about that childhood. He told me the reason I had this burning passion to “help” people was because there was no one to help or rescue me when I was a child.

We live in a world broken by sin, and God doesn't take any pleasure in sin. (Ps 5:4) So I know God didn’t make the bad things happen. However, He is able to make even the wicked things work to accomplish His will. What He did was “compass me about” to protect me and someday use that pain to be a blessing to others.

What pain or hurt or rejection are you broken over today? You can be assured by Lamentations 3:33 that God wouldn’t let that hurt come into your life if it weren’t necessary. Not only will God protect you and walk beside you as you walk through it, but He will also use it to bless others if you’ll let Him.

In the meantime, why in the world are you chasing that person, that job, that situation that God may be trying to protect you from? Maybe it’s time to take a deep breath and keep on walking, knowing that you can trust His heart when you cannot see His hand.

Challenge for Today: What might happen if we, just for today, trusted that God has “compassed us about” as we go through the tough times?