Where is God?

Looking out at the state of the world, one has to wonder where God is? Sometimes I seek God more than others, but I am nonetheless on a constant search for God. If there is a divine being who created and sustains everything and has made himself known, then I would really love to know him. But through all my searching, I am often distracted and struggle to “see” God. When I look outwards, I see beauty, yes, but I also see many people who seem empty and discouraged by the state of the world. I see people displaced by violence struggling to feed their families, never mind themselves. And I often find myself asking God why he is sitting idly by, did he fall asleep?? I have come to the understanding that satan, in part, is division in the world (stay tuned for an entire blog post about the insight my studies have taught me about satan). Satan is the divisive spirit that separates humanity, pits friend against friend, country against country, rich against poor, the spirit that creates an us and them mentality. But if through the life, death, resurrection, and continual intercession on our behalf to the Father, Jesus destroyed sin and death, why does he not end wars, poverty, food scarcity, illness, etc.? For a long time, I have felt discouraged and even mad that God has done nothing. But then I realized that if what Christians believe is true, then the spirit of God dwells within each one of us. So, I have to turn the question inward, “Why do I not do anything to end wars, poverty, food scarcity, and illness?” This is definitely not to say that I, Anna, am going to end war, but the Church is the body of Christ, and the spirit of the Almighty God now dwells within humanity. If we are more unified in working together, nothing should be impossible. I do want to acknowledge that so many people, Christians and non-Christians, are actually working to improve the lives of humans everywhere. But it seems that the majority of us, myself included, are more concerned with our individual lives, watching the next season of a show, and ensuring we have the right clothes, careers, and profiles. We, well I, need to wake up, to put aside materialistic and divisive traps, for God calls us into a more profound way of living, a way that is unified and life-giving to the whole of creation. So, if I stop pointing fingers at God and ask myself what more I could do, I might see more of God and feel less angry that he is not doing enough. Maybe people find it difficult to see that God is good because his people fail to show the world that He is.

Here is a photo of a cathedral from my trip to Montpellier! Tried to sneak inside but they would not let me... did not find God there either.