GOD HAS HIDDEN HIS FACE?!

I have remarked regularly that one of the reasons I love the Scripture is because it is real. It tells the truth. The Word of God does not candy coat or paint reality with soft colors and muted scenes. It really does ‘tell it like it is.’ Life is difficult and one often finds him/herself asking the question, “Where is God in all this?! I have prayed and He remains silent and, seemingly, aloof. Does He not care?”

In today’s reading a couple of the texts speak to the harsh realities of life. In Psalm 10 the psalmist asks, “Why do you stand afar off, Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (v. 1) All of us have faced times like this….it is part of our human experience. Life challenges, beats us down and abandons us to seeming defeat. The psalmist says he feels that the wicked prosper and the righteous struggle… the opposite of what he believes should occur. These rebels even boast that they will not face ‘adversity.’ That is contained in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Paul writes in Romans 1, that wicked humanity worships the creature rather than the Creator. People burn with lust for relationships they are commanded to avoid. And these rebels do not seemingly face immediate consequence….but God does ‘give them over.’ God steps back and allows their ‘dreams to come true’ but their ‘dreams’ are, in reality, ‘nightmares’ which will end in awakening to a solitary, Godless, painful, falling in judgment.

While God is ‘kind, tolerant and patient’ (Romans 2:4), He will one day ‘render to each person according to his deeds.’ The day of reckoning is quickly approaching and perfect justice will be experienced on that day. There will be no more enriching the unrighteous or persecuting the pure. Hearts and motives will be exposed and Jesus will be glorified in His people. Do not think that He does not care or is not interested in your lifestyle, your thoughts or your relationships. He is watching and waiting and very much involved….whether you ‘feel Him’ or not.