Where is now thy God? Reflections on Psalm 42:7-10
About this article
During the season of Advent, we hold onto the hope of Immanuel - God with us. "Where is now thy God?" offers insights to God's presence in the midst of troubles.
Where do we find God today? How are we to understand such happenings?
Some might respond by saying that everything happens for a reason.
I don't buy that.
Some might respond by saying that it is all part of God's plan.
To me, that answer offers little help.
Any answer will fall short. Any answer will fail to bring me to understanding. Not even faith in God can make sense of last night, this morning, and today.
And yet God does not sit back quietly. Faith demands from us a response. In the face of our fear God is quietly urging us to respond, not with answers or explanations, but with faith.
Fear tells us that we don't have the right words to say, and that we should say nothing. Faith calls us to speak words of love.
Fear tells us that we don't know what to do, and that we should do nothing.
Faith calls us to hold one another.
Fear tells us to turn away from one another, to be alone, to leave each other alone.
Faith calls us to run to friends, family, God, and even a stranger to seek and to offer support.
God is with us. God is here. God is calling us to be together in this place. He is giving us to one another. When you don't know what to say, say "I don't know"…say "I love you." When you don't know what to do, reach out your hand. When you can't find the words or actions even still, just sit with each other.
God is there.
God offers us something much more important than answers or understanding, he offers us one another.
In faith, we pray.
God, give us the strength to respond in faith; to speak, to act, and to be with one another. God, be in our words of love, be in our touch, and be in our being together. We demand this in the name of Christ our Lord, who knows what it is to be human and to suffer. Amen.
Some might respond by saying that everything happens for a reason.
I don't buy that.
Some might respond by saying that it is all part of God's plan.
To me, that answer offers little help.
Any answer will fall short. Any answer will fail to bring me to understanding. Not even faith in God can make sense of last night, this morning, and today.
And yet God does not sit back quietly. Faith demands from us a response. In the face of our fear God is quietly urging us to respond, not with answers or explanations, but with faith.
Fear tells us that we don't have the right words to say, and that we should say nothing. Faith calls us to speak words of love.
Fear tells us that we don't know what to do, and that we should do nothing.
Faith calls us to hold one another.
Fear tells us to turn away from one another, to be alone, to leave each other alone.
Faith calls us to run to friends, family, God, and even a stranger to seek and to offer support.
God is with us. God is here. God is calling us to be together in this place. He is giving us to one another. When you don't know what to say, say "I don't know"…say "I love you." When you don't know what to do, reach out your hand. When you can't find the words or actions even still, just sit with each other.
God is there.
God offers us something much more important than answers or understanding, he offers us one another.
In faith, we pray.
God, give us the strength to respond in faith; to speak, to act, and to be with one another. God, be in our words of love, be in our touch, and be in our being together. We demand this in the name of Christ our Lord, who knows what it is to be human and to suffer. Amen.
Acknowledgments
Copyright © 2009 Saint Mary's Press. Permission is granted for this article to be freely used for classroom or campus ministry purposes; however, it may not be republished in any form without the explicit permission of Saint Mary's Press. For more resources to support your ministry, call 800-533-8095 or visit our Web site at www.smp.org.Published October 27, 2004.
