Scripture:
Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? Psalms 10:1 – King David
It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. Proverbs 25: 2 – King Solomon
Reflection:
Two major wars, the lagging economy, the drug crisis, social upheaval, extreme liberalism, ultra-nationalism, lack of any moral boundaries, selfishness, and anger between generations and cultures, or maybe an untimely death of someone we hold dear. Have you ever said, “God where are you in all of this?” For those of us who love Jesus, our hearts cry out for God to somehow intervene when either the world is out of control or our personal lives seem to be upside down. Why is everything such a crazy ugly mess? We know deep down that life is not supposed to be this way. Where is the purpose, design, and beauty that mirrors the beauty and complexity of the character and nature of our God? Scripture speaks again and again that God knows the end from the beginning and that his plans will succeed, but does it really need to be so messy before His plans come to be?
As I have contemplated the brokenness of this world, I find that my response is all too often just to distance my heart and add one more layer of protection. Yet the problem with just adding protection to our hearts is that it just hardens us concerning the plight of those around us who need us to be the light and life of the gospel. Didn’t Jesus say that we were to love our neighbors?
The answer is not to bemoan the condition of the world, but as King Solomon expressed “it is the glory of God to conceal things, but it is the glory of kings to search things out.” Jesus worded it this way: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
There is a measure of nobility when we do not allow the circumstances of the world to shut us down and close us off from the problems that surround us, but rather motivate us to seek God for answers. It is by entering into both the “council chamber” and “counsel chamber” of God that life is transformed from struggle to grace, from information to wisdom. He conceals matters because there is struggle and depth that is needed to appreciate and understand them. Without the struggle of seeking, we would understand about as well as an infant understanding a lecture on Newtonian physics. He calls us to learn – to study – to dig into His Word and presence in order to gather the vast array of priceless jewels of wisdom available to us. It is to His glory and to His everlasting praise that He requires us to do so.
Life is hard, but there are answers, even if those answers are only understood as we climb the mountain of God’s grace and perspective. Don’t give up…keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking!
May the glory of your search bring a nobility of spirit that I believe will bless others and further His Kingdom.
David
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