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by Robin McKinley

When was the last time you looked to heaven and cried, Lord, where are you? We’ve all had days like that. But somehow and in some way, the Lord comes through for us.

Many times, however, before He intervenes, He’ll let us choose our own path. He did that for the nation of Israel, as recorded by the Prophet Isaiah.

Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? Return and help us, for we are your servants, the tribes that are your special possession. Isaiah 63:17

God did this wonderful thing for humans when He created the world. He gave us a mind so we could think for ourselves and the ability to make choices.

When things go wrong for us because of our choices, we rarely blame ourselves. Instead, we either blame the devil or question God for how things turned out.

That’s where God’s people found themselves in Isaiah’s day. They didn’t blame the devil, but they questioned God. They looked for God and couldn’t find Him because of their choices.

But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them. Isaiah 63:10 

 In the next few verses, they searched for Him. In fact, five times, they asked, “Where is the one who… ” They lost track of God and thought He had lost track of them.

Even though they couldn’t find the Lord, they blamed Him for how He created them. Our verse for today contains a couple of their questions.

Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts. Isaiah 63:17

Today, people still ask those same questions or at least similar ones. Like Israel, we too, tend to distance ourselves from God. Then we cry out by asking, Lord, where are you?

We act like God walks away or turns His back on us. The Lord, though, never moves away, and we always have access to Him.

Instead of asking, “Lord, where are you?” We should ask, “Lord, where am I?” The Israelites should have asked that same question because they had distanced themselves from God.

Lord, look down from heaven; look from your holy, glorious home, and see us. Where is the passion and the might you used to show on our behalf? Where are your mercy and compassion now? Isaiah 63:15

Sometimes, we get very wrapped up in the things of life. So much so we tend to float away from God. Let me explain what I mean by using a personal illustration. 

 A Pastor and his wife invited my wife and me to join them for a boat ride on the Connecticut River. After a while, he shut the engine off, and we all jumped in the water. We had a blast!

We talked and laughed and splashed and never left the side of the boat. After a while, the pastor said we need to get back in the boat because we’re almost to the dam. I said, what?

Because we stayed beside the boat the entire time, I didn’t realize we had continually floated downstream. The same principle can easily happen to us in life.

We can become so fixated on a worldly activity that we float further and further away from God. And I’m not talking about a bad activity, just something that takes our attention away from Him.

The Israelites found themselves in that position. Their activities not only drew them away from God, but they also worshiped other gods. They didn’t realize that God never moved. They did.

Lord, we know where you are; please help us to keep track of where we are. We pray that the Holy Spirit will keep us from floating away from you.

About the Author: 

Robin, with his wife Cindy, became children’s evangelists early in their ministry. They ministered to children full time for 8 years. During that time they developed several children’s stories which were told with visuals and puppets.

Robin recently turned two of those stories into children’s books. One is called “The Contest,” a book about the Fruit of the Spirit, and the other is called “Twas the Night of Christmas”.  He has also authored 5 volumes of devotional books called, 3 Minutes Alone with God. Each entry is a product of his personal biblical Journaling.

These and his other writings are available on his website called Christian Perspectives at www.ramckinley.com. When you visit this site, you can sign-up for newly written devotions as they come out which will be emailed to you.

Presently Robin is the pastor of Calvary Christian Center in Pottstown, PA. He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. He and his wife make their home in Birdsboro, Pa. He also serves as the president of the local ministerium. He and Cindy have two married sons and four grandchildren.