Where did God go?
Often when people think of the bible, we think of how God was there in these big ways and it certainly was evident that there was a God and that He was active in the world. This about it: creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, Elijah against the prophets, David and Goliath, Jericho and the walls came tumbling down, Jesus and all those miracles and dead people coming to life!
And then you seem to have today. Preachers who become disloyal. Healers who are shown to be a fake. And lots of personal prayers that don’t seem to get heard. The power just doesn’t seem to be there like they were in “biblical” times.
This kind of thinking is all in the bible too. I’d like to talk about why that is later, but I just want to point out for now that it is. I mean Solomon in Proverbs 1 makes it seem pretty clear that good things happen to the righteous and the wicked get what they deserve, so pursue righteousness in God. Then you have the Psalms. Psalms are filled with these raw emotions of these enigmas that you and I ask and hear people ask everyday. Just check out the first part of Psalm 10 for example. Finish reading the rest of it later and I’ll let you know it doesn’t get any better: ”
Why, LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble?
10:2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed;
the oppressed are trapped by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up.
10:3 Yes, the wicked man boasts because he gets what he wants;
the one who robs others curses and rejects the LORD.
10:4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,
“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.”
Ever think or say that before? I have. So what does that leave us? Is God not here? Was He not there? Is it all made up? I believe that God was there, He is here, and that God gives us insight into His power through these parts of the bible as well.
