The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
God is near to everyone and not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27). This truth reminds us that His omnipresence is constant, even when we do not go through difficult times. However, during seasons of trouble, people often grow discouraged and fear that God is absent. To address this, the Psalmist emphasised God’s nearness, especially to the oppressed, not to suggest that God is distant from those who are not suffering, but to comfort those in distress.
God’s presence and grace are equally available to those who are experiencing peace and blessings. As the LORD declared, “My unfailing love will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken” (Isaiah 54:10). His grace is promised to all and will never be withdrawn under any circumstance.
If God is With Us, Then Why Troubles?
We often view our troubles as tools in the hands of the devil, and when problems surround us, we become fearful, believing that the enemy has trapped us on every side. This mindset takes root because we tend to believe more in the power of darkness than in the power of light. Even the disciples, in their fear, mistook Jesus for a ghost. This reveals the depth of our misunderstanding: when fear takes hold, it distorts our perception.
Though God never promised us a life free of trouble, we still long for one. Yet, God has clearly stated that challenges will always be part of our journey. However, we are not to fear them, for He provides the grace we need to endure and overcome them.
Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. – Deuteronomy 7:22 (NIV)
The Bible warns us of a roaring lion—the enemy—constantly seeking an opportunity to devour us. The reality is that sin will always be present, but God protects us from its attacks by allowing various challenges and hardships in our lives. If we lived without problems, we would be far more vulnerable to sin. Often, our trials keep us from straying and draw us closer to God. David affirmed this truth from his own experience:
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. – Psalm 119:71 (NIV)
When David lived as a fugitive, constantly on the run, he had little room or opportunity to fall into sin. But when his enemy, Saul, was removed and life became easier, he stumbled. That’s why God allows certain struggles—not to harm us, but to keep us engaged in a way that shields us from sin.
God warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door, ready to strike. Likewise, in the life of a believer, sin often lurks just outside the heart. But God, in His mercy, builds a protective boundary—a hedge formed through various trials—so sin doesn’t overtake us. He also said that He would remove these barriers gradually, because if He were to lift them all at once, wild beasts (symbolic of destructive forces) could enter and cause harm.
Even the apostle Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from becoming proud. Though he pleaded for its removal, God did not take it away. Instead, He said, “My grace is sufficient for you”—a grace that sustained Paul through the affliction.
Questioning God
While the visible effects of accidents, deaths, or disasters may cause us to question God’s saving grace, the truth is that His grace is always at work, guarding our salvation until it is exchanged for eternal life. God originally created man for eternity, and when that was lost through sin, He sent His Son to restore it. Those who believe in Christ receive that eternal life once again. Because He is our Creator, He cares for us, sustains us, preserves us, and leads us toward our eternal home.
On the other hand, when we question God about things like aeroplane crashes, we often forget that God didn’t create the aeroplane. He gave humans the wisdom to observe birds and learn the principles of flight, which led to the invention. The design, function, and safety of the aircraft are the responsibility of its human makers. Just as God, our Creator, lovingly preserves our lives, the responsibility for man-made creations lies with their makers, not with God.
When a celebrity dies young or when we lose someone dear in our family, we often question God, asking how and why He allowed it. Although death is inevitable for every mortal, our grief often clouds the simple reality of God’s sovereign plan. If we were to live forever in this mortal body, how much more would we fall into sin? In His wisdom, God, knowing our weaknesses, refines our souls through His righteousness and calls us righteous so that we may be part of His Kingdom (Isaiah 57:1-2). Yet God Himself marvels that so few grasp this clear and simple truth. While the departed soul is resting at the bosom of God, we are wasting our salvation.
Sadly, many believers, rather than aligning their thoughts with God’s, align with worldly reasoning and begin to question God over everyday hardships—accidents, illnesses, political unrest, communal violence, trials, suffering, and deaths. But if we expect a life free from all trouble, it is like someone wishing for an empty road while learning to drive. In reality, roads are never cleared just for our convenience. A skilled driver is shaped by navigating through traffic, bad weather, and rough roads. In the same way, spiritual maturity is formed through adversity. Yet many believers do the opposite—they resist hardship, miss its purpose, and question God’s integrity instead of turning to Him with repentance. If we want God to protect us from sinning, natural calamities, accidents and deaths, then we would become robots or machines rather than humans. The whole challenge is how efficiently we use our free will to guard ourselves from sin and come near God.
When a plane crashes or a city is devastated by communal violence, our instinct is to ask why God didn’t intervene. Yet, in doing so, we risk placing ourselves above Him, as though He must answer to us. We are reminded of the fate of the angel who sought to exalt himself above God. That is why Scripture warns us to be careful with our words before God (Ecclesiastes 5:2).
Though He humbles Himself to speak with us—fragile beings as small and fleeting as insects—we must never forget who He is. He is not our equal, nor should we ever speak of Him as though He were no different from our adversaries. He is holy, and His ways far exceed our understanding.
God, in His sovereignty, has designed life to include sickness, suffering, uncertainty, and even death. As fragile human beings, we often struggle to grasp His purposes. But through these very challenges, He invites us to trust, repent, and align ourselves with His own image.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. – Romans 8:29 (NIV)
Living Away From God Makes Us Vulnerable To Sin
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. – Isaiah 13:19-21(NIV)
The Babylonians, relying on their own wisdom and intellectual strength, had no fear of God. Consequently, they fell under His judgment. Their downfall came swiftly and without warning, as described in detail in the account written by the exiled Daniel. Because they placed their trust in themselves rather than in God, they excluded His protection and brought destruction upon themselves. In this, the pattern God foretold in Deuteronomy 7:22 was fulfilled through the fall of Babylon.
Likewise, when believers fail to understand the purpose behind their struggles, they often pray only for immediate relief. In their impatience, the devil seizes the opportunity to offer temporary comfort, leading them to lower their spiritual guard. This may result in the removal of the protective hedge God had placed around them. In their pursuit of quick solutions, believers may unwittingly invite the enemy into their lives. And because God honours our free will, He does not override that choice. Once welcomed, the enemy deceives them into rejecting God’s loving discipline, and, as Jesus warned in Matthew 12:45, returns with even greater destruction.
Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation. – Matthew 12:45 (NIV)
This is why it is vital to discern God’s will and align ourselves with His purpose. When we misinterpret God’s refining trials as attacks from the enemy, we unknowingly give satan a foothold. Just as man-made machines must be repaired by human hands, spiritual damage caused by inviting the enemy must be addressed through our own act of repentance and resistance, surrendering our will fully to God. Only when we resist the devil will God intervene and restore what was lost. “Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom,” but where the spirit of evil prevails, there is only bondage. We cannot blame God for the consequences of our choices—yet He still waits patiently for our return.
Let us allow God to work through our trials and struggles, so that we may grow daily in His love. When we mature to a point where we can remain in Him without needing trials to keep us close, we may look back and wonder where all the struggles went. Indeed, when we make room for the Spirit of God to fully govern our lives, His pattern of protection shifts, and we begin to experience abundant peace. For God is with us always—through hardship and in peace—and He never forsakes us.
The Jordan Valley 
Reply