Are you going through something in your life right now that makes you feel as though God doesn’t care about you? There have been times when I have been dealing with someone going through a personal crisis who has said something like, “God doesn’t care about me.” or, “Doesn’t God see what I’m going through?” The meaning is clear: God isn’t doing what the person thinks He should be doing. There are two reasons why a person might feel this way:
1. The person has not asked God for help. In Exodus 22:16-31, God discusses personal offenses that are committed between two people. He says, “…it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.” This is a conditional promise. In order for God to act on the behalf of a Christian, He first expects the believer to call upon Him. Don’t presume that God is not doing anything about your problem if you have not asked for His help. You may say, “But doesn’t God know my needs already?” Yes, God does know your needs. However, God loves His children and wants them to communicate with Him. He wants you to call upon Him when you are facing difficult circumstances. If you feel you have been unjustly treated, God will help you because He is gracious, but first you must ask Him. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call upon Me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.”
2. If you have asked God for help and still He doesn’t seem to be doing anything, consider the possibilities. What are the three answers you give to your children? Yes, no and wait. Sometimes what your child wants (candy, movies, toys) aren’t in his best interest, so you have to say “no”. If your five-year-old asks if he can drive the family car, the answer isn’t just “no”, but also that he needs to “wait” until he is old enough. God uses those same answers when dealing with His children. The material point is that God knows what is best for you and you don’t. It’s hard to accept that you may not know the best way to run your life, but Jeremiah says, “For the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?” Only God can see with perfect eyes what is appropriate for you in your life.
If you are going through adversity and feel that God doesn’t know or understand or even care, ask yourself a few questions. Have you called upon God to help you? Could God be saying “No” to your request? Is it God’s will that you wait for an answer? God is never late and always does what’s best. Trust Him to do what you need when you need it.