A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a young lady, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "If I make it into Heaven, the first thing I will ask God is, "Why did You remain hidden?" Maybe a better question would be, "Why did You remain silent?"
I just can't get this out of my head. It invades my waking moments, my going-about-my-day moments, and everything in-between moments...popping into my thoughts without warning. It lays heavy some days. What did she mean? Really mean? I think this question goes so much deeper than surface issues. Like most things, it has become a heart issue, searching for the presence of its God. Of its maker.
Most mornings I'm at my study desk by 7 AM. Some days (most, actually) it's much earlier. As I prepare for the onslaught of the day, and all it will bring my way, this conversation enters my mind. The sun faithfully peaks through the trees from across the road (usually right at 7:45 AM these days), making its way straight into my eyes. And even though I'm not looking directly at it, the rays coming from it, soon begin to blind me. Can't see much of anything. So, I reach up and close that one shade where the sun is making its presence known. It's not shining brighter than yesterday. It's not shining less than yesterday. It's not trying to get my attention, it just quietly makes its presence known to me. It's being what it was created to be. A light. A source of life. Astonishingly, as it commands the weather, the ocean currants, the seasons, and the climate, it remains faithful to little old me. Simply put, it makes life possible on planet Earth. MY life possible. Here. On planet Earth.
How do I know it's there? I know it's there because it's blinding me, and on days I open my window, I swear I can feel its warmth, even though it's some 93 million miles away from my window (according to NASA). High and lifted up, so far away, yet so close we know it is present. Always present. Even when it's on the other side of the planet, making its rounds for all people.
Food for thought: What do we tell our little kiddos when they ask, "Momma (or Daddy), where does the sun go when it gets dark outside?" We tell them it's still there, it's just giving its light to the moon, making it not so bright, dimming its own light, so we can rest better. So we can sleep and recharge for tomorrow. Right? I do hope we're listening as God is making His presence known.
There are days, seasons, if you will, that we can't really feel the sun so much. Yet, it remains where it was placed by the God of heaven and earth. Still providing all the earth needs for that time. That season. We yearn for the sun to show itself during those days that turn into weeks. MONTHS (in some places). Just like we yearn for God to show Himself when we see so much devastation. So much injustice. So much wrong. So much death.
Why does He remain hidden (or silent) when we feel we need Him the most? But, is He really hidden? Did you know that even though the sun is hidden by clouds some days, the rays it produces break through those clouds and not only covers the earth, but also goes deep into the ocean? The sun will always continue to give life, whether we see it (Him?) or not. It's the nature of the sun. Or the Son...
On this earth, we will always have hardships, devastation, and circumstantial cruelty. ~John 16:33 But...He came to show us how to be over-comers. There is evil in this world. That's not going away, as much as we'd like for it to. However, we don't have to succumb to it, or become part of it. He will lead us in truth and will never leave us lonely. ~Deuteronomy 31:6-8.
All we have to do is look with our spiritual eyes. Sometimes our natural eyes will tell us something is a truth, when the things we can't see, are the real truth. Such as...I had a client, just yesterday, that told me of this amazing experience he had on a recent work trip. Short synopsis of the encounter was that he chose to help a total stranger that was standing in the middle of the road, bleeding, at 3 AM, as my client drove the dark road that was free of all traffic. Allowing him access to his car, driving him to a drop off, calling a number he didn't know to let them know where the man was, AND later following up to make sure something left behind wasn't important to him, I am STILL amazed that my client was in the right place at the right time for the one needing help. And, even though the stranger was talking incoherently (that's another story I don't feel I should talk about), when he spoke to him the next day, the stranger told my client he had saved his life. Oh man!!! Don't even try to convince me that God wasn't there.
One last thing. Moses wanted to see God. He must have asked the same question. "Why do You remain hidden?" In Exodus 33:22, God responded to Moses. "You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by." That very obscure meeting with God caused Moses to come down from the mountain with white hair. I think I'll choose to believe that we cannot look into the face of God and live. Maybe He is protecting us by remaining hidden. Or, maybe He's actually there and we're the ones who are hidden. Jesus did say that if we see Him, we've seen the Father.~John 14:8-9
Diving deep, here you will find me...in Mary's World.
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