So Where Is God in All of This?

This was the exact question a neighbor asked me yesterday as Woody and I were out walking. 

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Two responses came to my head, though I am not exactly sure what came out of my mouth at the time.

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First, He is where He always is—in control, powerful, loving, and sovereign. Of course, that one statement raises all kinds of questions. Lots of “But why does He/doesn’t He . . . ?” So what I think I said to my friend was, “He is totally in control, the God He has always been. Even though I do not know—cannot know—what He is doing.”

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The other response? Read Psalm 46. Long a favorite in our family, it is one of my “walking” Psalms,” aka my “waking” Psalms. A psalm to live by, a song to sing in the night wakings. If you are unfamiliar, please read Psalm 46. Out loud, preferably. Maybe every day during this corona-crisis. Maybe every day anyway. Also, you can listen to a great sermon about Psalm 46 here. And if you do, be sure to follow all the way to the end where there is an exquisitely beautiful violin and piano arrangement of one of my favorite hymns: “Like a River Glorious Is God’s Perfect Peace.” Perfect peace perfect for our times.

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I know what many of you are thinking. Perfect peace? “Yea, right. Perfect peace in a house full of kids housebound for who-knows-how-long. Perfect peace when I worry about our family finances when so many jobs, income sources, and even savings seem in jeopardy. Perfect peace when I worry about those I love who are elderly or particularly at risk. What world do you live in?” 

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What world? The same world you live in. This topsy-turvy, scary, who–could-ever-have-imagined world. But we still have the same God. And He is not topsy-turvy or scared. He is not going anywhere. He is, as the Psalm says “our Refuge and Strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  And just for good measure, the Psalmist reminds us twice: “The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.” 

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Author Corrie ten Boom, who had plenty of opportunity in WW II concentration camps to ask the “Where is God?” questions, sums it up well:

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”