Is God Absent when we Suffer or Hurt?

Psalm 69:20 seems to really summarize how many people find they are feeling and thinking when it comes to God's presence (or seeming absence) when life gets tough.  In fact, all of Psalm 69 speaks of a person who is hurting deeply, and is looking to God.  The only thing is, it seems as though God isn't really there during this hurt and time of suffering.

I have had a few people ask where God is when they are hurting or suffering.  I always have to admit that this question is not one that is easily answered.  We know that God is present in suffering, as He has given the promise that He is with us always and will never leave us nor forsake us.  But my experience has been that people want a little more than just "God is with you in your pain."  They want a bit more reassurance.

In fact, many would question if the pain and suffering is a sign that God isn't actually there with them.  There seems to be something inside us as people which makes us think that God's presence will always cause us to feel better or positive or optimistic about life.  So, the logical part of our minds would say, if we aren't feeling that or experiencing that, it must mean that God is absent.

I'll be the first to admit that there is no easy answer to this question.  In His Word to us, God reveals that He is with us as one who fills all things.  This means even when we suffer or find ourselves in pain.  From His Word, we learn that God is actually very present in suffering, as Jesus Himself has suffered and endured in pain and agony, and so He is not only with us, but knows it. 

Yet, the thing we want most is for the pain and the suffering to be over and done with.  So when it lingers, or when it is more intense than we had hoped, we may wonder if God really is absent.  This is really a question that I've thought about a lot.  Why permit suffering and pain?  And while it's not really a great answer to share with someone in the middle of a time like that, I've come up with a couple of thoughts.  But to keep this post from being super-long, I'll include them in tomorrow's post.