Now that we are one month into 2026, some of you are still keeping pace with your New Year’s resolutions, while for most of us, not much has changed. The uncertainty, anxiety, and stress of 2025 have a way of following us into the New Year. And all of this leaves a lingering question resting deep in the heart: Where is God in the midst of this?
That question and many others like it are entirely legitimate when we consider what we see on television and social media every day. It can cause us to wonder whether the God of the Bible is truly real. And if He is, why does it seem as though He has left His people to navigate so much chaos on their own? I’ll be honest, some days my mind drifts in the same direction. But I’m quickly reminded that God is not distant or absent. He is ever-present, actively at work alongside His creation.
Often, we miss God in the small things because we are so focused on the big things in our lives and in the world. A clear example of this is found in John 6:5–13, the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples were overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crowd and the apparent impossibility of meeting their needs. Yet Jesus demonstrated God’s power by using what seemed insignificant, a boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish. In the face of an overwhelming problem, God chose to work through something small, readily available, and surrendered.
In the same way, even when the pace of life and the weight of daily problems feel overwhelming, God remains present and active. He continues to work through quiet acts of obedience, unnoticed resources, and the small details of everyday life. Martin Luther famously called this “the Mask of God,” referring to God’s active hiding of Himself. God often reveals Himself by concealing His presence within the ordinary structures of created reality: human beings, social systems, and physical elements. We tend to look for God in dramatic, overwhelming displays, encounters we could neither fully comprehend nor survive in the presence of a holy, majestic, and limitless God.
So the next time you find yourself wondering where God is in the midst of it all, consider this: could He be using the people or circumstances around you to speak? Maybe it’s the homeless person you keep passing by, or a situation you’ve written off as insignificant. The point is this: God often works through the very things we overlook as we search for answers amid life’s daily struggles.
Even so, some may still find it difficult to understand how God communicates or where to look for Him in the noise and confusion of life. If that’s you, take heart. You are not left without certainty. God has not hidden Himself completely, nor has He abandoned His people. He has bound Himself to His Word and His Sacraments, where He promises to meet us, not with ambiguity, but with clarity and assurance.
In Scripture, God speaks plainly: forgiveness for the broken, grace for the undeserving, mercy for the weary, and hope for those longing for something beyond the chaos of this world. In the Sacraments, God does not merely symbolize His presence; He delivers what He promises: new life, restored relationship, and a future anchored in Him. So even when you cannot discern His voice in your circumstances, even when His work seems hidden behind what Luther called the “Mask of God,” you can rest in what is certain. God is for you. He is near. He is faithful.
The same God who fed the multitude with a child’s lunch continues to feed His people with promises that do not fade or fail. As we move further into 2026, still carrying unanswered questions and unresolved fears, we are reminded that our hope does not rest in changed circumstances, but in a God who has already met us where He promised He would. And one day, He will bring us fully into His presence, where chaos gives way to peace, and faith gives way to sight.
Concordia Lutheran Church Of Brentwood 