Where is God in Troubling Times?
My Friends,
To those who love
our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, to those who are seeking and to those who
do not yet know that they are seeking.
We live in very
troubling times. There are so many people around the world who are in great
distress. Christians and non-Christians alike are murdered, imprisoned,
tortured, beaten, run from their homes and homelands. Terrified people are seeking
asylum as well as those who commit acts of terror feigning distress and seeking
asylum. World governments go to war while drumming up patriotic support from
their people while never seeming to actually accomplish much in the way of
ending anything except for the killing of the world’s youth.
Many brave men and
women have given their life for the cause of freedom and yet those who have
survived seem to be left without care. Yes the governments promote through much
public relations how the veterans are being cared for and yet those seeking
asylum are given homes for free, college educations and financing while the
veterans are sleeping in the streets and in shelters.
Children are born
with lifelong and often times life shortening illnesses. The parents of these
children bear much grief for their children as well as much love. Elderly
people are not cared for as they should be often times and become neglected and
lonely. Many children are orphans through death of parents, or the State
removing them from their homes or are run a ways seeking a life different from
their home life that they now have for various reasons.
The church is so
divided and at odds with one another that a clear message of Jesus the Christ
as Lord and Savior is lost. Holy Scripture is so maligned by not only secular
scholars but those who claim to be Christian as well that the actual message of
Scripture is lost in the minutiae of details, squabbling, and just plain
disbelief along with the fact that many translations come out only to serve
some groups personal agenda.
The question is
often asked; where is God? Why does He allow all of this? So many just want God
to step in and fix all of the problems and so He is blamed for them because He does
not do this. Everyone wants things their way because their way is correct, they
want free will but get angry because God does not interfere with the free will
of others and just fix things. Far too many do not want to understand that we
are born into a corrupt world. We add to the corruption every day. No one can
answer the questions as to why one is born ill and another is not, why is one
murdered and another is not. These questions cannot be answered by us. Why does
the storm destroy this home and family and leave another untouched? We cannot
answers these questions except only to say that we are all here together and
these things have occurred since the beginning of the time.
What is the answer?
What are we to do? Should we try to alter the will of God to suit our own? This
will not work. We pray and pray and prayer goes unanswered and so we say that
prayer doesn’t work, so many have left the faith because of this when we do not
get our own way. Friends, God’s way is far above ours and we cannot know the why
of anything. There are enough people out there who will tell you that it is
because of this sin or that sin. It is only supposition and opinion on their
part.
We do not need to
complicate faith or add unnecessary guilt on one another. While it is true we
sin, each and everyone one of us and we bring many things upon us due to poor judgment
but one cannot tell another that this calamity or that calamity is due to some
personal sin on the person’s part. What we need to do is not very complicated;
What did Jesus command?
If you love Me do as I command. What are these commands? Confess; how many do
this on a daily basis honestly and leaving out nothing? Repent; how many continue
to do the very same thing time after time and sometimes just minutes after
confessing it? Be baptized; most people reading this have most likely already
been baptized but do not live up to their baptism.
Love God first; how
many do this? How many chase after material things before chasing after wisdom?
Love your neighbor as yourself; how many wish evil or wrong doing on someone because
of some anger or jealousy? Pray for one another; is this only once a week in
church or is it every day every time we see that someone needs prayer or every
day for everyone? The feeding and care of orphans and widows; is this done only
during the Christmas season or is it a way of life? Find some time to be alone
with God, meditate on Him and His word even if only for a few minutes. So these
are the things;
·
Love God
first, speak to Him daily all day, take the time also to meditate and listen.
·
Love your
neighbor as yourself all day every day, pray for your neighbor daily.
·
Confess
and repent daily and as often during the day as needed.
·
Help
those who need help as much as is in you or that you can every day.
·
Worship
God through Jesus the Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
·
Never
cease to seek wisdom.
·
Persevere
through the hard times by staying close to Jesus.
·
Love,
never stop loving, this is the way of the Lord.
My
friends, no matter what is going on in our lives, these are the things that we
should do every day to the best of our ability.
I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me!
Remember that the Eucharist or
Communion is the center of worship. The Body and Blood in its Spiritual reality
of being the Real Presence is our own Spiritual nourishment. Do not neglect
this.
To answer the
question; where is God in troubling Times? He is here, He is always here, we
need only to seek Him with a pure heart.
May the Peace of our
Lord Jesus the Christ fill you to over flowing.
Many Blessings!
In Christ,
+William
Web Page;
Live Radio call in show;
For Monk Michael's videos;
http://www.youtube.com/user/HieroMonkMichael
Monk Michael's 'Spiritual Christianity for Today! on Kindle;
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZCIF4M
Monk Michael's 'Spiritual Christianity for Today! paperback;
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-author=Rev.%20Fr.%20Michael%20Valentine%20Sweet&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ARev.%20Fr.%20Michael%20Valentine%20Sweet
Many Blessings!
In Christ,
+William
