As Christians, we feel safe and secure in our world while we follow God’s plan. Often, our world seems perfect and we forget that God’s plans don’t always align with ours.

One moment, we are on top of the mountain, full of life and vitality. We’re living life for the glory of God, and nothing can stand in the way. But then something happens – something completely off our radar and unexpected. God throws a curveball, and we find ourselves drowning in sorrow and grief. The perfect world we thought we lived in quickly turned into a tragedy, and there seems to be no way out. Our solid faith-foundation crumbles and we find ourselves asking, “Where is God? He certainly can’t be here with me right now!”

In those moments, it truly seems like God is nowhere to be found. It feels like He abandoned you and that all hope is lost. But there is hope, and He is there! Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us:

“God will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Yes, that means even amid tragedy. So, where is He?

At the housefire, God is there, moving among the firefighters. He was with them since they trained for any potential scenarios, and He’s on-scene as they work tirelessly to save lives.

During every miscarriage or stillbirth, God is there working through the hands and feet of every doctor and nurse.

At every accident, God is there performing through the first responders. Through their versatilely, they become the direct mediator of the Great Physician.

During the preparations for a funeral, God is working through the babysitter watching your children. It may seem small, but that is a blessing and one less weight off your shoulders.

Not every tragedy has a happy ending. It would be considered a miracle, not a tragedy, if they did. But in heartbreak, God places people in your life who become His hands and feet. Despite the pull of negativity, destruction, and hurt, there is always a silver lining; people become blessings in the slightest, sometimes seemingly insignificant, ways.

God is the reason. Through the unexpected and tragedies, God is there. It may not seem like it at the moment, nor may it feel like it years later, but He is. Tony Evans once said:

“Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom so that you will discover that He is the rock at the bottom.”

He’s in every little detail of our lives, and though we may sometimes have to search, I can say that God is there even in the tragedy. When life hits you with the unexpected, take a breath, look around you, and see the blessings still pouring through. Those small blessings are God saying, “I am here, and I will never leave you nor forsake you.”