By Pastor Don Schatz
Where Is God?
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud Link.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”
Psalm 42:1 New International Version
Taken out of context, like today, Psalm 42:1 expresses the disciple’s deep faith. In context, however, the Psalmist is wondering where God is. ‘There’s trouble, Lord. Right here in River City.’ And it’s not pool. In fact, we do not know what the specific issue is. But the soul is troubled. And the Psalmist longs for the Lord to come and help. “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalm 42:3).
Skip ahead to John 11. Mary said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Skip ahead to Matthew 28:20, where the last words of that Gospel find Jesus saying, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We sometimes live in the tension between the Psalm (also Mary and Martha) and Jesus’ assertion. “I need you, Lord. In fact, my need is so great it is like a deer panting for streams of water. I need you, Lord. Are you there?” The Lord says, “Remember? I am always with you.”
So, why does it seem that God is sometimes not around? I am not answering that for you today; or ever. I can answer it for myself, but that wouldn’t help you much. Kind David wrote of the Lord’s child in Psalm 1:3, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Oh man, did that tension show up for you again?
What seems to be true and what is true are not the same. The Lord is always with us. The Lord is always near. The Lord is a refreshing stream, and he invites us to come and drink. Drink freely of the water of life. I can hear the bubbling stream. God be with you today.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
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