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b'"Where is God when there are wars and sicknesses? Where is God when my friends are hurting?" If you\\u2019ve asked these questions, you\\u2019re not alone. People have been wondering for thousands of years. One person who responded to these questions was Ezekiel, a messenger to God\\u2019s people, the Israelites.\\n\\n\\n\\nEzekiel preached truths about God and the world, messages of warning and of hope that are written in the book of Ezekiel in the Bible. This book opens with a dramatic vision of God\\u2019s holiness. He is the Perfect Creator and Ruler of the universe, far greater than our understanding. And since God is perfect, He cannot ignore sin and evil. Sin goes against God\\u2019s good ways and separates us from His goodness. Ezekiel reminds the people that God warned them of the danger of sin. Still, they refused to listen. So, as a consequence, God punished them and let the people go into exile far from home.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut there was hope. When everything was going wrong\\u2014in the midst of hurt, wars, and exile\\u2014God promised to be with His people, and one day, to bring them back home. And He promised a new Spirit that would help them live in His ways (Ezekiel 11:19). Those are a lot of big promises, but they were fulfilled over five hundred years later in Jesus, who is God in flesh. He is called Immanuel, which means \\u201cGod with us\\u201d (Matthew 1:23). When everything goes wrong and we wonder where God is, He is right there with us. Jesus lived a perfect life and died to forgive our sins. Then He rose again from death to rescue us so we can be with our loving God forever. Finally, after Jesus ascended, God sent His Holy Spirit to be in us. The Holy Spirit gives us comfort and hope, guiding us and helping us live in God\\u2019s good ways as we wait for Jesus to return and make all things new (John 14:26).\\n\\n\\n\\nThe end of Ezekiel has a beautiful picture of God\\u2019s people returning to the land He promised to give them, where He will dwell with them forever. And we have hope of the renewed creation, when we will live with Jesus forever in God\\u2019s perfect kingdom! \\u2022 Abby Ciona\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Do you ever feel like God is far away? We all have these feelings, and we can tell God about them anytime. To remind us of God\\u2019s constant presence, we can read verses like John 14:25-31 and Matthew 28:20. Who is a trusted Christian in your life who you could talk with about these things? If nobody comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u201cI will put my Spirit in you and you will live.\\u201d Ezekiel 37:14a (NIV)\\n\\n\\n\\nREAD: EZEKIEL 11:15-21; 39:21-29'