Has God failed us? ... I don't understand and my faith is faltering

God's Promises

Has God failed us? I have read repeatedly where God promised the Jews to be a great nation, yet today Israel is struggling for survival, and Jews in the Diaspora are assimilating in record numbers. I don't understand and my faith is faltering. Please explain.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

God made a covenant with Abraham, and that pact is not able to be broken. However, God assures us that our ability to flourish, or conversely to suffer, depends on how well we fulfill our end of the bargain: which is to observe the mitzvot and be a holy people that inspires the world to recognize God's existence and dominion over all.

Even in the darkest times, God is with us. But that in itself is a test of our connection to Him, to be able to see His guiding hand even within the darkness. In Deuteronomy 31:16-18, God says that if the Jewish people rebel, "I will hide My face from them."

Silver and Gold

A few months ago a reader wrote to tell me how devastated she’d been by the breakup of her marriage. One day her husband simply told her he no longer loved her and wasn’t interested in working things out. The marriage was ended.

At times her pain was physical. She felt as though she were having a heart attack. But through the pain and chaos, she refused to doubt God, telling him she knew he was faithful and good. During the months that followed, this heartbroken woman kept seeking him, yielding her life again and again.
Now a year later, after living through what she describes as the darkest time of her life, she speaks about healing and a new freedom to love God that she never imagined possible. Her hope is palpable as she tells of her confidence that the best is yet to come.

Riches in Secret Places

I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord. Isaiah 45:3

My friend, Vicky, is one rich person. She’s got it all, yet she sits paralyzed in a wheelchair, having been shot in an attempted rape many years ago. At first, this tragedy plunged her into dark despair. Yet during her darkest hour, she discovered rich, spiritual treasure. She was able to mine precious insights hidden in secret places. Through her affliction, Vicky found the seven-fold riches of God.

In Ephesians 3:8 she discovered she was blessed with “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” 

In Romans 2:4, she found “the riches of goodness.”