Cling To Him
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
-- Psalm 43:3
Where is God? Seriously. Where is He? Because some days I just don’t feel His Presence. I just don’t see Him. I don’t hear Him. I feel lost and alone. Have you ever been there? Probably you have because I think most of us go through this from time to time.
Some folks believe that unconfessed sin separates us from God. That’s why He goes silent, they say. Sometimes that might be true. Other times, well, I just don’t buy into it. I think God puts us some place so that we can learn and grow toward the person He wants us to be.
Still, knowing what you’re supposed to be learning isn’t easy. Maybe it’s because we instinctively resist change. Maybe it’s because the change is in a direction we never expected to go. Maybe we just don’t want to walk out on that ledge. Moving toward an unknown destination is scary, especially when you aren’t sure about the lighting.
When I know where God wants me to go, I pretty much go there. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. More than once, I might add. I don’t always agree with Him -- I can be shortsighted that way -- but I do trust that He knows best and that He has a plan. I just wish sometimes that He would share that plan with me.
That’s when I get most frustrated. I don’t see His plan. I don’t see His light. It’s like He’s parked me in this place and said, “See you later.” Well, I’m still here and life seems to be spinning more and more out of control. I could use some guidance. I need help and strength and, well, I need Him to light the way. I cry out and the only response I get is more darkness.
When I was a small child, a small lamp lit my bedroom each night. That light was my security so that I could sleep. It wasn’t particularly bright and really wasn’t large at all. But it was just enough to show the way. That’s what I need from God. Don’t get me wrong. I would love a spotlight every now and then. But just a little glow would reassure me that He’s still there and He hasn’t forgotten that I’m waiting for Him to show me the way.
The Bible tells us that King David waited 15 years between the time Samuel anointed him as king and the time he actually became king of Judah. That’s enough to send me into fits of despair. We live in a world of instant gratification. While I know that sometimes we all must wait for God to reveal Himself, 15 years seems like such a very long time.
David probably felt that way too. When we’re in a valley, for whatever reason, time seems to pass so slowly. It doesn’t even have to be something major, like a death, divorce or illness. Sometimes it is simply the uncertainty of a place in time when everything seems to stand still and you wonder if where you’re at is all there is.
Believing in God isn’t just about feeling His glory on the mountaintop. It’s about clinging to His Presence even when we can’t see or hear Him. It’s about trusting Him when we really don’t have a clue where we’re going or how we’ll get there. It’s about knowing He’s there no matter what happens or what we’re going through. I’ve about clinging to Him in the darkness, knowing that His light is just a heartbeat
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