Once when my son was about 4 years old, we were at the grocery store picking up a few items and instead of holding my hand, he wanted to be free to run up and down the aisle. I was in a hurry (as always) and I didn't find every item on every shelf to be near as interesting as he seemed to so I kept telling him to come on and quit grabbing stuff. He wasn't listening very well so I decided I would teach him a lesson.
I turned the corner on the next aisle without saying a word to him. Now, I could see him clearly through the display of Doritos that separated us but he couldn't see me. When he realized I wasn't standing where he thought I was he ran down to the other end of the aisle and looked. Of course I wasn't there. He began to panic and started running back down the aisle screaming "Daaadddy!"
When I stepped out from behind the chips he ran to me and hugged me and said, "I didn't know where you were, I couldn't see you."
I said, "I know, but I could see you and I'm not ever going to let you get too far away from me, I just wanted to teach a lesson."
If you're like me, then there have been times when you've wondered where God was. There have been times when you were desperately seeking Him but you just couldn't see Him. That's where the children of Israel were in Exodus 5:1-12. In that passage we read about Moses and Aaron going to Pharaoh and asking that he allow the Hebrews to go into the wilderness and worship God. Of course Pharaoh said no, and not only that but he also gave them more work to do. The people had received hope when God sent Moses to them. Their desire was simply to worship God, instead they received greater hardship. Surely they must have wondered where God was in all of this, after all He sent a deliverer, why weren't they being delivered? As you continue to read through the book of Exodus you will see God prove His power and His love for His people over and over again. They would be delivered and there will be no doubt that it would be by God's hand and in His time. The Hebrew people simply had to learn to trust Him and to obey Him.
Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."
When you wonder where God is, remember that even if you can't see Him, He can see you and if you are His He will never be far from you.
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Editor's note: Paul Bryant is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Garfield. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]
Religion on 10/22/2014