When God Seems Absent

God’s Spirit beckons us toward partnership.  For ultimately dependency on God is not expecting God to do all, but trusting God in all.   It’s acknowledging God’s work in all things, even discouraging things, even when God seems absent.

It’s interesting to see Moses, the Old Testament character, doing that.  Why Moses was so trusting of God, even in in dark/discouraging times, Exodus 33:11-14 tells us, Moses was referred to as a friend of God – lifting up one of God’s most remarkable characteristics, God as El Rachum:  the Compassionate, Merciful One.  For the one true God, Moses reminds us in Deuteronomy 4, “…the Lord your God -- is a merciful God; He will [never] abandon…you…or forget [you]…”  (Deuteronomy 4:31)  Never; ever!  Did you hear that?  God will never abandon you, or forget you – never, ever!

One of my favorite stories concerns David Livingstone the famed missionary explorer.  Seems Livingstone was trying to reach an African country for Christ.  And so he reached out to the countries most powerful tribal chief.  But there was a hitch:  Livingstone had to offer the chief everything, he owned; and then the chief would make a choice, giving Livingstone a gift back in return.  And so Livingstone offered the chief everything he owned:  his clothes, his books, his watch, even his prized goat. And wouldn’t you know it, the chief choose Livingstone’s prized goat.  And what did Livingstone get from the chief?  Why Livingstone got a stick: a plain-old craggily, carved stick.  Well Livingstone wasn’t amused -- feeling God had forgotten him.  But not for long; why in due course, a medicine man set the record straight.  “Oh that’s not just an old craggily, carved stick,” the medicine man said.  Why that’s the chief’s own staff -- his very own scepter -- giving you entrance to every village -- in our country!!”

God gives us entrance, even when we think there is no entrance -- granting us His scepter, His power, His mercy.  Just when we think God has forgotten us – that now we need to take life back into our own hands – God demonstrates that life advances best in His Hands, as God does great things -- far beyond anything we could do.