Where Is God?
It’s a question asked by many in all kinds of
circumstances…where is God? It can be a global situation, or a national crisis,
or one’s personal condition, but there are times in many people’s lives where
their understanding of God is confronted with a harsh reality that they believe
doesn’t line up with what Scripture teaches, or what they personally believe,
about the will of God. In such times as these, the question is often asked,
where is God in all this?
The answer is, He is where He has always been.
He is on His throne, reigning over the world, seeing His will is fulfilled,
preparing us for eternity. It is true that as many people are drawn to God in
such times, to recognize His authority in difficult times, there are those who
are shaken in their faith. It’s a matter of our understanding of Scripture, and
our trust in what it reveals of Him to us.
You see, while God is love, all have sinned,
and we must deal with the consequences this brings to life. The wages of sin is
death (Rom. 6:23), and its effects in our lives are harsh and cruel. Just as
Adam and Eve were warned what would happen if they disobeyed God, so it is
still true today. While sin can shake us to the very core of our existence, it
is the reality that comes with allowing the devil his part in our lives, our
world. The marvel of it all is that God is still blessing us even in the midst
of sin. He is our Creator and Sustainer (Col. 1:17), we belong to Him (2 Cor.
6:16), and He alone is infinite in power and understanding (Isa. 43:11-13). He
knows what is best, and His will, His purposes, whether globally or
individually, are based on His nature as Deity, which includes not only His
love but His righteousness, holiness, and truth.
We don’t see life from God’s perspective. We only
can see things from our limited view of today, not the complete picture He as
the Alpha and Omega does (Rev. 1:8). While He offers us His great and magnificent
promises (2 Pet. 1:4), we must consider them all, not just those we desire. He
promises to provide for us, and He does, in so many ways, but that doesn’t
negate that we all will die until the Lord returns (Heb. 9:27). It is easy to
question why a loved one passes when they do, but we can also consider those
prophets of old who died horrible deaths in their service to God (Heb.
11:36-38). As the created, we cannot possibly understand all there is as does
God, who is eternal, and sees all of history, not just the small snippets we as
finite beings can perceive.
While the secret things belong to God (Deut. 29:29),
He does reveal to us that, if our lives have been cleansed through the blood of
Christ, if we live faithful lives for Him, there is an eternity awaiting us
where the troubles of today will be gone. Heaven more than makes up for the
trials of life, and by the grace of God, we will be done with the sorrows of
today, forever (Rom. 8:18). Our view of life must include eternity if today is
to make any sense to us at all. Everything lost due to our sins will be
restored in heaven. There is chaos in the world, but peace in Christ. There is
suffering in the world, but joy in Christ. There is a lack of remembrance of
those gone on today, but we will never be forgotten in God’s presence, as His
honor, and remembrance, will be forever.
I certainly don’t have all the answers to life’s
problems, but I do know our trust must be in God, who sees, knows, and
understands. The same Jesus who wept at the loss of Lazarus will welcome us
into His glorious presence (John 11:35, 25-26). The same Jesus who longed to
gather Jerusalem to Himself (Matt. 23:37) will come back to receive us (John
14:3). This world will be filled with sin and its consequences until it is
destroyed at the Lord’s return (2 Pet. 3:12), but heaven will know none of that
which is sinful, only God’s blessings. In a world filled with sin and its
consequences, don’t let go of God or His promises. There is unfathomable sadness
and suffering today, but we live for our Lord’s return (Titus 2:13). Won’t it
will be wonderful there?
μαράνα θᾶ
Robert
No comments:
Post a Comment