Seeing God

One thing that has resulted from having a vastly bigger view of God is that I no longer feel comfortable to talk about where I see God working except within my own life.

What I find difficult is identifying God working in the larger world. I don’t know what I am looking at. If God is the one who formed the universe, and I am realistic in my understanding of my place within the universe, then it is the height of arrogance to believe that I can identify for certain what God is doing.

For example I may look at something that appears hopeless. I may say that God isn’t there. God may in the middle of a project and His presence is poised to break through. In another case, it may look like things are going well and people talk about being “blessed”. I may be tempted to think that God is in their midst. But it may appearance only, these people fearful of admitting what they are struggling with. This would have nothing to do with God, but their own self protection kicking in.

I think of the story of the pious follower and the dishonest cheat praying in the temple, as recorded in Matthew 18. Jesus pointed out that the cheat’s prayers were getting through. If we had witnessed the scene we might have been tempted to put our money on pious guy.

I’m just grateful God is working in me. Wow! Isn’t that an arrogant statement, proclaiming that God is interested in my wildly insignificant life. And yet, that is something that the Bible states that we can say for certain.