Where is God When I am Worried?

I once read a quote that said, ‘Worry is like a rocking chair. There’s a lot of action, but you’re not getting anywhere.’ And right now with all the issues that are going on in every corner of the world, it’s easy for the anxiety level to go up. As an active Christian, I am on the receiving end of questions people have, ranging from ‘Why does God allow this?’ to ‘What am I supposed to do about this?’ I am reminded of this little anecdote:

A man had lost his job. He was at the point of desperation and didn’t know which way to turn, so he went to see an elderly preacher who had once helped him.

Pacing about the preacher’s study, the young man ranted about his problems. Finally, he clenched his fist and shouted, “I’ve begged God to say something to help me, preacher. Why doesn’t God answer?”

The preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply, something so hushed that it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. “What did you say?” he asked.

The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair.

“Sorry,” he said. “I still didn’t hear you.”

With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more.

“God sometimes whispers,” he said, “so that we will move closer to hear Him.”

This time the young man heard and he understood.

We all want God’s voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God’s voice is often the still, small voice, the gentle whisper.

Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God’s whisper means that I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer.

Better still, I find myself closer to God.—Author unknown