God Is Present
Isaiah 55:1-9
Years ago I was given a plaque, among other things, from a mentor who was clearing out items in his library as he retired from ministry. I hung this plaque near the entrance of my home and it reads, “Bidden or not bidden, God is present.”
It is reportedly from a quote from the Oracle of Delphi from ancient Greece. Carl Jung, 20th century physician and psychiatrist found it so compelling he had it inscribed above his doorway and on his tombstone in the original latin: VOCATUS ATQUE NON VOCATUS DEUS ADERIT.
While it kind of sounds like a warning, I have always found it a comforting thing to remember. Sometimes it is just difficult to sense the presence of God. But this statement, not coined by a Christian I might add, conveys an important truth: God is there anyway.
When I am feeling completely alone and isolated: God is there anyway.
When I am feeling like I am not worth anything, certainly not God’s attention: God is there anyway.
When the world around me is full of evil actions that no one seems willing or able to stop: God is there anyway.
God is there anyway, even when going to church feels like rote and obligation. When we don’t feel comfortable singing a new hymn, or when a sermon rubs us the wrong way, God is there anyway.
It’s a comfort and its a challenge. It means that God’s comfort is near as well as God’s call. All of us have need of both. Especially for a time such as this when so much seems to be falling apart and chaos seems to be holding the reigns.
And we can have hope, too. Because with God’s presence comes the reminder of God’s constant abundance. The prophet Isaiah, when the exile ended, had words of encouragement for the Isrealites to return home to Jerusalem. He wrote, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.”
Well, God IS near! Right now. Call upon God when you are in need of hope. Call upon God as you discern what is yours to do in these days. Call upon God when you are struggling to find God’s abundance. It’s right there. Bidden or not bidden, God’s abundance, hope, comfort, and call are present.
