Where is God?

Where is God? That question is asked by many, especially by the younger ones. One cannot see Him, therefore, He is not there, right? Wrong! The answer is simple. He is everywhere. One of the many attributes of God is omnipresence, meaning that He is everywhere...all the time. I had known this longer than I could remember, but His omnipresence had never been made so real to me until August, 1990. No...I did not see Him, but I truly felt His presence in my life.

At the end of the summer in 1990, my family and I departed this great nation to vacation in the homeland of Mike, my husband of almost twenty years. Millie and Michael, our two teenagers, and I had never visited Mike's family. Some may think that is strange, but considering that Mike's family lived 8000 miles from Shreveport, Louisiana will certainly clear any misunderstanding.

Months of preparation preceded our trip. Passports and visas had to be acquired. Financial obligations had to be met in advance. Pet sitters had to be obtained, and arrangements had to be made with our employers. After all, three weeks was a long time to be away from our Louisiana home, and especially that far away.

Most of the time was spent in preparing my Mom and Dad. They had never been separated that long from their favorite (only) daughter, and never had we ever been so many miles apart. Dad was apprehensive because he was well aware of unrest in the Middle East. He knew that peace had never reigned in that area of the world. Mike had assured him that Kuwait was different.

"Kuwait is friendly to all the neighboring countries," he said. "There has never been any major problems in Kuwaits' history of over two hundred years." That statement was true in July, 1990, but abruptly changed less than a month later.

We had been in Kuwait nine days when Iraq made her move into that peaceful little country. Before the invasion, I had felt safe. I remember on the evening that we arrived there, we walked to a shopping center a few blocks from the family home. There was no looking over one's shoulder in fear of being mugged, and no fear of any drive-by shootings. I had mentioned to Mike that I felt I could easily live in Kuwait. The serenity was very inviting. The city was crime-free. There were no drugs, alcohol, firearms, or rapes.

It is a shame that all good things must come to an end. Well, almost all good things. As a child of God, I knew the best was yet to come. Unfortunately, before the 'best' came, a most trying experience occurred in my life.

In the early morning hours of August 2, the friendly, peaceful country of Kuwait was turned upside-down and inside-out. The entire city and its' citizens were in disarray. Gunfire and bomb explosions could be heard throughout the city. The smell of gunpowder permeated the air. Military planes and helicopters played tag in the sky above the homes. Iraqi soldiers were everywhere with weapons. No longer was this a crime-free place. Guns were everywhere. Rapes were being committed. The Kuwaitis' and resistance were being tortured and murdered.

Everyone was wondering what was going on. All the local television networks had been removed and replaced by Iraqi propaganda. The television screen was filled with military music videos and marching soldiers. There was no news there. The radio broadcasts were all jammed. No news there, either. The only thing we were able to hear at that time was from the Iraqi government. They told only the things they wanted us to hear...lies.

Quickly, the news was out by word of mouth. Iraq invaded Kuwait. Dad was right! And there we were in the middle of it all.

During the excitement, I thought, "What in the world is going on here?" Immediately, God answered me in scripture that I had memorized years earlier. "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18) There was a war going on all around me, and I was supposed to be thankful? I knew this was a command and God had certainly laid it on my heart because it just popped out of nowhere, so I was obedient. I still could not understand why, but Proverbs 3:5,6 came to mind. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy path." Hmmm...'lean not on thine own understanding.' I surely didn't understand so I couldn't lean on that. I had no other choice but to 'trust in the Lord' with all my heart. That day, and for the two months that followed...we kept a low profile. Stating that a little more accurately--we hid! We weren't alone, though...God was there with us...comforting and protecting.

God is everywhere! He was in Louisiana when we left that rainy afternoon in July, 1990. He was on all the airplanes that we boarded. He was in Kuwait. He was with us all the time while we were there. He was with us when we flew to Baghdad, and the rest of the way home. The remarkable thing is...He was with us on the other side of the world...yet He was in the United States comforting Mom, Dad, and friends. Unnatural, you say. I say supernatural. God can do that. He can do anything. He is God! He is everywhere!

--Mott