I have searched in the East, but God is not there; I have not found him when I searched in the West. God has been at work in the North and the South, but still I have not seen him. Yet God knows every step I take; if he tests me, he will find me pure. I follow faithfully the road he chooses, and never wander to either side. I always do what God commands; I follow his will, not my own desires.

Job 23:8-12

Somehow we feel that God and good times always go hand in hand. And someday they will – in heaven. But now it is different. Trouble periodically rolls in like a heavy fog, and we must take by faith the fact that God is very much with us, even though we may not sense His presence.

God always sees us. Nothing gets by Him or escapes His notice. He always knows and cares. The question is whether we will continue to be as trusting as He is faithful. Will we be good and godly even when times are bad?

The presence of trouble

does not mean the absence of God.

Our Daily Bread – July 2, 2002