Wednesday, November 12, 2008

WIGIAT? I think I know...

I was sitting in the pickup line at school the other day when I saw a bumper sticker that really made me think. No, it wasn’t the one mini van’s giant red Darth Vader head my kids are so envious of, it was one I’d actually not seen yet. At first glance, it simply said, “WIGIAT”.

As I sat there and thought, Wigi-what?, and assumed that it probably had something to do with our current president (as about half the bumper stickers around here that have anything to do with the letter W do), I noticed that it said something else in very small print underneath those letters. I had to nearly snuggle up in their backseat to read it, but somehow I was able to make it out just short of hitting their rear bumper. It read:

“WHERE IS GOD IN ALL THIS”

It was kind of a disturbing thought to begin with, then I saw the “Jesus fish” not too far above it on the back door. At that point I was really disturbed.

I kind of wanted to get out of the car and remind her where God is in all this. God is exactly where He’s always been, and right where He belongs: on His throne.

Psalm 29:10 says, “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever”, and I believe it. Yes, our world is a mess. And yes, it would appear that we are drowning in it. But that doesn’t mean that God has forgotten us or disappeared. He sees us and He knows our hurt and confusion. He feels our pain and is deeply saddened by our fears. This is far from the Eden He designed for us, and He can’t wait to step in and take us home.

So why doesn’t He do something about it? Because He’s perfect and patient and just, and so much in love with us that He can’t. Doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? 2 Peter 3:9 tells us why it should make perfect sense: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” He’s waiting for us to believe so we can come home.

I must admit, though, that some days I feel selfishly feel like enough people believe that He needs to come back and save us all from the rest of us who don’t, you know? But that’s just one more reason in a long line of reasons why I am so very, very glad that I am not God. He alone is perfect, and He alone knows the hearts of men. He already knows the perfect time to step in and make Himself known to even those who refuse to believe. It’s been marked on His calendar since before the beginning of time, and you can rest assured that He won’t forget or be a minute late. Our God is perfect and perfectly on time.

So where is God in all this? Right where He should be. And to those of us who do believe, that place is closer to us than our next breath. Through the Holy Spirit we have uninterrupted access to the Lord our God, who works tirelessly in and through us each day to strengthen our faith and lead others to believe in His name. He hasn't gone anywhere.

After having a few days to think about this, I’m considering making a rebuttal sticker. Maybe if I did it would say something like “GSIRH” (GOD SAYS, “I’M RIGHT HERE”), or WIOFIAT (WHERE IS OUR FAITH IN ALL THIS). But maybe it should simply just say “I AM” – because that’s all we really need to know. God is and was and always will be. Ultimately, we have nothing to fear.

That being said; Come Lord Jesus, Come. The flood is rising…



4 comments:

On Purpose said...

I love to read your blog!

Jami said...

Amen to that! Just this weekend a very wise man mentioned that same question. Where is God? He went on - "And you know where He is? He's in the back of the boat sleeping! And when we wake Him up He'll ask us, where is your faith?!"


It good to hear from you Sam!!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes i wonder where he is even though i know he is there its just that during the hard times i ask why? but then i remind myself that God knows whats going to happen and i just have to let it.
-hawky

Anna S said...

This term actually was coined by a Rev Dr Tony Everette at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC. When things get us down and we wonder "Why, Lord, why?" the term WIGIAT is supposed to help us remove ourselves from the question and see the situation through God's eyes. Dr Everette says "The way we perceive an experience shapes the way we think about an experience." So WIGIAT? Right where He's supposed to be, and looking at our situation through His eyes instead of ours can help us to see the situation differently. It reminds me to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding."