Where is God when people mistreat us?

Where is He when we are betrayed, falsely accused, misunderstood, rejected, or attacked unfairly? Why would a loving God allow one of His children to endure situations that feel deeply unjust?

Those are not merely theological questions. They are deeply personal ones.

Most of us have experienced seasons where we have been hurt by people we trusted. Sometimes the deepest wounds come from family members, close friends, fellow believers, or people we never imagined would turn against us.

David understood that kind of pain.

In today’s reading from 2 Samuel 15–16, David faces betrayal on multiple fronts. His own son Absalom rises up against him in rebellion. Trusted relationships fracture. His kingdom is threatened. And as David flees Jerusalem, another man follows him, cursing him and throwing stones at him.

Yet David’s response is remarkable.

Instead of bitterness, revenge, panic, or self-defense, David demonstrated something many of us struggle to hold onto in difficult moments: confidence in the sovereignty of God.

David understood that God had not lost control.

He believed that even painful events—even unfair attacks—passed through the hands of a sovereign God who works all things for His glory and the good of His people.

That kind of trust does not come from positive thinking. It comes from knowing God deeply.

And perhaps that is exactly what difficult seasons are teaching us.