God, where are you? I don’t see you working. Your presence feels far from me. Have you forgotten your servant?
David asked some of these same questions throughout the book of Psalms. The man after God’s own heart struggled to know that God was near. In other Psalms, David sang God’s praises and described God’s powerful hand at work to defeat his enemies, strengthen him, and fill him with peace through provision.
It is easy to forget all God has done and a challenge to trust all that he is doing now or will do in the future. We fall victim to Satan’s lies that God is not a living, active presence in our lives—we fail to see God’s hand working all things for good (Romans 8:28).
Allow me to add some food for thought to this discussion: The book of Esther makes no mention of God in its entire twelve chapters. Does that mean that God is not present in the story? Do Esther and Mordecai save the Jewish nation or does God?
I think we would all agree that God is very present in the story of Esther. Redemption for his people would’ve been impossible without God’s intervention.
So, what if God does some of his best redemptive work behind the scenes?
God is pursuing you; he loves you with an everlasting love; his faithfulness remains through all the storms of life. As in the story of Esther, we may not hear his name directly. But when we tell our stories, his presence is evident, even if is name goes unmentioned.
Why is it so hard to trust God’s redemptive work is happening behind the scenes?