Prayer & Presence
God, Are You There?
If you are asking this sincerely, God, are You there, you are not the first. Some of the most honest people in the Bible asked it too, out loud, in the dark. The question itself is not a failure of faith. It may be the beginning of it.
You do not need a plan or the right words. You only need to be honest, and you already are.
The Psalms are full of people asking where God is. Job cried, Oh that I knew where I might find him. And on the cross, Jesus himself prayed the words of Psalm 22, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? So if you feel the silence, know that it has been prayed before, by people God did not abandon.
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”
Psalm 139:7-8
“Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!”
Job 23:3
“That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.”
Acts 17:27
Here is one small prayer. You can whisper it.
A prayer you can pray right nowGod, if You are there, help me know You are here.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it wrong to ask if God is there?
- No. Some of the most faithful people in the Bible asked it, including Jesus on the cross. An honest question is not a lack of faith; it can be the start of one.
- What if I get only silence?
- Silence is not the same as absence. Many people have prayed through long silences and later found they were not alone. You can keep asking honestly.