Are you someone whose mood is directly affected by the weather? If it’s bright and sunny outside, you find it much easier to be cheerful than on those days when the clouds smear the sky with a murky haze. And when the entire sky is blanketed by a thick quilt of dreary gray? Those are the days when you want to pull the covers back over your head and try again tomorrow.
Sometimes the clouds that have you feeling blue aren’t the kind that hang in the sky. Life itself can be like walking through a fog where you can’t see where you’re going or doubt God’s presence next to you. It’s hard to trust God is always there when you’re shrouded in the fog of life. Sometimes he just seems so…invisible.
When that’s the case, where is God?
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In This Article
The Sun Still Shines on a Cloudy Day
If you’ve ever traveled via air, you are more aware than most that our limited view from ground doesn’t tell all. On a recent trip, my plane took off from the Minneapolis airport on a dreary day void of sun. We ascended into the clouds and the plane shuddered with the turbulence as we passed through layers and layers of gray and white. Then, suddenly, we were above the clouds, staring into the wild blue yonder—and the full, blazing glory of the sun.
Not to steal Aladdin’s line but it was unequivocally a “whole new world.” A person still on the ground might’ve concluded the sun had decided to stay in bed for the day but in the air, I was reminded of a comforting truism: The sun is always shining, even when we cannot see it.
Seeking God’s Presence: Where is God in My Life?
The sun is always shining, even when we cannot see it.
Do you feel like life has you under a dreary, gray quilt of suffocating thickness? Does God’s voice seem distant—or absent altogether? You beg and pray for intervention, for any direction at all. You wonder if he’s left you to fend for yourself. Perhaps you aren’t sure he’s there at all.
Here’s what the Bible has to say about that:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber…
Psalm 121:1-3
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139:7-10
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:7-8
Spot a theme here? God does not rest, nor does he take coffee breaks. There may be times when you can’t see his hand in your life and you start to wonder if he’s still there. Rest assured he is. You can know God is active in your life because he says so, and history supports it.
God at Work: Proof From History
“God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
Genesis 1:3
I wasn’t there when this happened so I’m not exactly sure how it went. But I imagine it was a spectacular sight. Did the light start small, then grow in intensity like a sunrise? Or did it appear in a great explosion of brilliance the way scientists portray the Big Bang?
God could’ve done it either way and we won’t know until we get to heaven. But in Genesis 1, there are exactly seven instances of God speaking and things happening:
“Let there be light… sky… dry ground… vegetation… stars… birds… livestock.“
Bing, bang, boom and it was so. I like the idea of someone so powerful he can literally speak things into existence if that’s how he wants it done.
But I also like the idea of a Creator who dug in the dirt and got his hands messy creating the one thing he holds most dear: humankind.
An Active Creator
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground…”
Genesis 2:7
Imagine God rolling mud between his fingers like a child with Play-Doh. Only this is no blobby playdough creature.
God took a very active and personal approach to creating the first two humans.
One arm, two arms, one hand, two hands…
Fingers, fingernails, fingerprints…
Bones, tendons, muscles, ligaments…
Heart, liver, lungs, two kidneys, lymph nodes, a brain…
And then God gave him mouth-to-mouth and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
God didn’t snap his fingers to bring man into existence. This was a very hands-on creation. Whatever his methods for bringing zebras, pansies, and crawfish into the world, God took a very active and personal approach to creating the first two humans.
An Active Protector
That’s not how he created us, and that’s not how he is now because God does not change.
I bring up these passages about the beginning of time because it’s too easy to view God as a passive observer, sitting on his throne, arms crossed like a sulking preteen. But that’s not how he created us, and that’s not how he is now because God does not change. Even you and I were knitted together in our mother’s wombs (Psalm 139) one strand at a time.
This is the method of a Maker who cares deeply for his favorite creation—us.
God was active in the creation of the world, and he is still active in your life as your redeemer and protector. Remember that when you’re feeling blue.
Bible Verses That Show God At Work in Your Life
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber. The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
Psalm 120:3,5
In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:6
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”
John 5:17
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Philippians 2:13
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20
Feeling Blue? God is Always There—Actively
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
You can be certain the sun is still shining even when it’s cloudy. And you can rest assured that God is still watching over you, acting on your behalf, even when you cannot see him or feel his presence.
Trust that God is always there.
More Faith Encouragement For Christian Teens
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
No better answer to the question “Where is God?” can be found outside of Psalm 121. I quoted part in this post but the whole thing is soothing to the soul who’s feeling blue.
Other articles from my blog for teens seeking God’s presence and evidence of his work in their lives:
- Why You Can Trust God Instead of Freaking Out
- Seeking Jesus: How to Get Closer to God Right Now
- For another glimpse of his quiet but active presence, check out 10+ Bible Passages for When God Seems Distant and Aloof.
- Having trouble hearing God’s whispers? Maybe it’s time to Turn Down the Volume: How to Hear God’s Voice.
