When Jesus flips the question …

“Where was God …” is the start of one of the most asked questions by human beings.

For some reason, we expect for God to be in the middle of every difficulty, ready to deliver us to a soft landing.

It doesn’t work that way.

Oh, God is there, but how He works things to His glory and what is actually good for us is sometimes different from the outcomes we expect.

So we ask that question, “Where was God when …”

But there’s going to be a time when Jesus flips the question.

He’s been asked where He was when someone died, someone got sick, someone got hurt, or lost, or fired, or cheated, or any number of things. As often as He has been asked that question, we likely haven’t asked that question of ourselves!

Where were we when the neighbor down the street lost his job? When the homeless Viet Nam vet died alone under a bridge? When the visitor to your church sat in the middle of the congregation and felt lonely? Where were we when all these hurting people hurt?

There is coming a time when Jesus will flip the question:

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws’,” Matthew 7:21-23.

When we have to give an account to the Lord, many will list some of the things they were doing in Jesus’ name. But to many, Jesus will flip the question … it will become about where were we in all the things that really mattered that we expect God to be in the middle of.

He was there, we were not.

“I never knew you …”

If you want God to be in the middle of something, get there. Not only will you be able to see Him if you look, but you’ll be better positioned to represent Him.

Scotty