At first glance this could be a question you would ask of someone you were counting on during a difficult period of time. There is nothing worse than facing the things that life throws at us without the support of those who we feel we can count on. The tone of voice assigned to this question immediately exposes the degree of pain one has been forced to endure in what can be best described as isolation.

There could be a different application to this question.

While this different situation connected to this question may not require a close friend or relative to help you navigate, it can be just as charged emotionally. For a generation, the assassination of JFK was inserted into this question, “where were you when you heard President Kennedy was assassinated?” The generation before may have asked, “where were you when war was declared on Germany?” For later generations it could have been any number of things including the attacks on September 11 2001. In the first instance the person is looking for a reason why you didn’t show up when something big happened to them. The second instance the person asking where were/where did you shown up when you found out something big had happened.

Life is marked by big events.

Some events require us to show up and support someone enduring the event. Other events attach themselves in our memories to where we showed up when we heard about it. All are situations that will be forever linked to where we were when something big happened. I hope I never get asked where were you when I needed you. I guess I also hope that nothing big enough happens from here on in that I end up linking a place related to my everyday life with an event that is so big everyone can answer the question where were you when they found out it happened?

This isn’t just a question asked by humans.

 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angelsshouted for joy? Job 38:4-7 (NIV)

When someone asks me where I was when a big thing happened, when someone asks me where I was when they needed me, uncomfortable emotions are brought to the surface. When God asked Job, where were you when…” the level of emotion must have been off the scale.

What if we always heard “where were you…”

…coming from the mouth of God in everyday life? When we become too focused on ourselves maybe we should picture God asking, “where were you when your neighbour needed help?” When a major event happens in the world maybe we should picture God asking, “where were you when the world looked like it was falling apart and people needed you to point them toward Jesus?” When we question God as if He has no idea what is going on, what the world is really like, how hard things are then tell Him how things should be, maybe we should picture God asking, “where were you when I created the world?”

Let me go a step further.

What would God say if you asked, “where were you when I was about to sin or be sinned against?” “Where were you when people were massacred in this event or that event?” I will never claim to speak for God, but I believe this is a Bible based answer, I was there, I was everywhere showing my nail pierced hands and feet because over 2000 years ago I was where I needed to be to address where you are today.