There are many answers to the question “Where are You, God”
because He is everywhere. But when we
ask that question ourselves, most often there is a further qualification: Where are You, God --- when I need You? When we need Him, we ask: “Where are You,”
and we want to see Him, He who is everywhere.
And because we are looking for Him in a particular place, doing a
particular miracle for us (in the way we want it done), we don’t see. That’s where faith comes in, not having to
see to believe He is with us, to trust in Him.
He acts in ways that are often not of our choosing, loving ways,
everywhere, and we don’t see.
1. 1) The man wanted to love his neighbor, but found
he couldn’t. In effect the neighbor was
like the leper shouting “unclean, unclean,” needing physical and emotional and
spiritual not God’s, and was reluctant to ask others to help, fearing both for
the one to be helped and for the ones helping.
2. 2) The
woman was stressed with the demands of work, with trying to spend more time
with God, and the illnesses which seemed constant this winter. And she was stressed in not finding time to
spend with friends, who might share her burden.
So much was worrying as she thought:
Where are You, God? And she
wrestled with plans on what she would do, alone.
3. 3) The
woman of 5 young kids knew about colds this winter; they seemed ever-present in
her house. Caring for her kids, she
could not go out for needed groceries, and asked for food to be delivered to
her from the local food bank, which helped with her financial needs. But financial needs were just part of the
stress in the family’s life, and she sometimes wondered: Where are You,
God? But she had strength, and would
continue with or without help, as best she could.
4. 4) One
of the children of the above woman had her own financial needs, but knowing the
family’s tight finances kept quiet. With
childlike trust yet curiosity, she wondered: Where are You, God, as she
resolved to do with less things than her classmates at school.
5. 5) A
man went shopping; he loaded his cart and went to the checkout line, where he
discovered he’d left his wallet at home.
Leaving the store, he went to his car, and there was reminded of
something else he’d planned to purchase:
gas. He sat in his car, perhaps
wondering “Where are You, God” as he tried to decide his next step, who to call
for help.
6. 6) The
priest was a teacher, and a good one. So,
he was troubled that the online class he had created seemed not to be
working. What he thought to be interesting
presentations were generating no comments, no questions. Were the lectures really boring, quickly
forgotten? Why couldn’t he reach these
students, touch their souls? “Where are
You, God? What should I do,” he pondered
as he considered changes he’d make.
All of these people believed in God, and trusted Him to some
degree, yet they felt that if they couldn’t find a solution to their problems,
He wasn’t there, where they were looking for Him. They expected God to help them with making
happen the solutions they’d perceived.
But real trust is believing there might be a better solution than they
could conceive, His solution. Trust is
accepting that there might be a bigger picture that we cannot perceive, because
we are not God.
And yet, on some rare, blessed occasions, He lets us see some
of His work:
It started this way.
The woman (2) called her friend (1) on Friday: “Come and watch the Super
Bowl with me? If you have time, stop and
pick up pizza, which was on sale, two-for-one, at the local grocery.” The man agreed, and purchased 4 different
pizzas. But by Saturday, the woman’s latest
cold was worse, and she called again: “I feel terrible. Don’t come over; I don’t want to get you
sick.” But the man persisted: “I bought these 4 pizzas; I’ll come over and we’ll
sit on opposite sides of the room. Okay?” And to his surprise her response was: “Those
pizzas are okay, but I like the ‘Supreme’ toppings best.” Wanting to be with his friend, he replied: “Then
the ‘Supreme’ is what I’ll bring; see you at 4 tomorrow.”
Now, you might say at this point: God’s done little so far, --- and I believe,
you would be wrong, for things were set in motion.
The man (1) went back to the store to buy the ‘Supreme’
pizzas. As he was leaving the parking
lot, another man (5) was in his car when he noticed (1). He (5) got out of his car and ran up to tap
on the window of (1)’s car: “God told me to ask you for help,” he said,
blurting out the story of the forgotten wallet and the need for $2 for gas to
get home. And (1) helped (5) in his
need.
On Sunday, a friend told the man (1) about the woman (3)
getting food from the food bank, and he remembered the 4 pizzas he didn’t need,
and he called the woman to ask if she’d like them, and then delivered them to
her house. While there, she showed him
her youngest, taking her first steps --- a blessed moment. But then he noticed the quiet 12-year old
(4), and was inspired to ask: “Want to earn some money shoveling my walks?” She certainly did, and agreed to go with him
to get it done.
She shoveled for a half hour, and when returning her home,
he (1) was surprised to see a priest (6) visiting there. The woman (3) and the priest worked together
at the seminary. And as the woman went
to tend to her kid’s needs, the man (1) couldn’t help himself as he blurted
out: “Father, since you are here, could I ask you about a problem I’m wrestling
with?” He could, and did, and along the
way spoke of his teaching problem. And
the man (1) was able to relate how a similar problem was addressed at a recent
Bible Study he attended, and offered a book which described possible
solutions. And the priest was pleased.
By now you can see that all six of these people were helped
in some way with their concerns, and none in the way which they were planning
to proceed. God had a better way. And how did God help them? I think it was a simple as a forgotten word: “Supreme”. Did (2) not say it in her first call, or did
(1) not remember it? It doesn’t matter,
but from that one misunderstanding 6 lives were changed --- oh yes, (1) and (2)
had a great time, eating pizza and watching the game, and her cold seemed to
get better.
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Did everyone get all they had hoped (or prayed) for? Of course not. But this morning’s Readings included some
words of Saint Ephrem, which may help put things in perspective:
“Lord, who can comprehend even one
of your words? We lose more of it than
we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets
according to the capacity of the listener,” …
“And so, whenever anyone discovers
some part of the treasure, he should not think that he has exhausted God’s
word. Instead he should feel that this
is all that he was able to find of the wealth contained in it. Nor should he say that the word is weak and
sterile or look down on it simply because this portion was all that he happened
to find. But precisely because he could not
capture it all he should give thanks for its riches.” …
“Be thankful then for what you
have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still
remains. What you have received and
attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time
because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only
persevere. So do not foolishly try to
drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out
of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on.”
Saint Ephrem is telling us that God provides what we need,
not all we might want. But we should not
be discouraged, for He always has more: “if only you persevere.”
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Solutions don’t come from where we expect. I had asked someone in the chapel to pray for
a person I was trying to help, and a few days later person from the chapel
stopped me after mass: “I think God has asked me to help you with your
problem. What can I do?”
His ways are not ours, they’re better. Perhaps I should stop praying for what I
want, but ask “What do You want?”
