I’ll be honest, some seasons are better than others. I am not speaking of Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, although I do have a favourite. I am speaking of the seasons of life.

There are times in life when I wake up each morning feeling refreshed, and ready to take on the day. I feel excited, empowered and energized to tackle whatever the world throws at me. At times like this I feel wonderfully connected to God. I love those seasons of life.

However, there are other times when none of that is true. I wake up and rather than feeling refreshed, I feel depleted. Instead of feeling excited about what the day may hold, I feel sad or even anxious. God does not feel close during those times.

Years ago I experienced a season like that. A difficult situation had me feeling sad, insecure and alone. I cried out but I couldn’t hear God. God was silent. In my humble opinion, God didn’t seem to care. I knew in my head that God was near but I couldn’t feel God anywhere. And not sensing God made me question everything, even my faith. My natural inclination was to take my despair and hide. I rationalized that no one wanted to see an unhappy Mona. Moreover, no one knew what to do with an unhappy Mona, except for three Godly people.

Over 30 years ago Brian and I attended a small group. We faithfully participated for many years and it gave such richness to our lives. As is with life, over the years our small group changed, members came and went, but one couple remained a constant. Together we did life. We prayed together. We poured over God’s word together. We shared the joys and the sorrows, and walked alongside one another through it all, heart and soul.

During my season of experiencing God’s silence it was this couple, along with Brian, who reminded me that every circumstance can be viewed through the lens of God’s truth:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

They encouraged me and told me that I was not crazy, or worse yet unfaithful, for feeling as I did. They reminded me that throughout Scripture even the most faithful experienced seasons of spiritual loneliness. They reminded me that even the faithful are not immune to painful experiences that life can bring. They also reminded me of God’s powerful promise, that God is with us through and amid the storms:

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

What an amazing promise! It is a promise that no matter what, no matter how we feel, we can take confidence in God’s promise to be with us.

The beautiful revelation for me was that God can be found in His people. People who are called to care.

I am so grateful that we went to a small group all those years ago and formed a life long friendship with God’s own.

I am grateful for Godly caring friends who are with me, heart and soul.