Rector’s Daily Reflections No.9 Friday 3rd April 2020

Thought for the Day

People vary on so much, don’t they, and not least in matters of religion. For example, some people find it very easy to see signs of God at work in their lives. They feel confident about pointing to specific events and saying “Look! See what God has done in my life!” But others look around and see what’s happening, and ask themselves: “Is God at work in any of this? I just don’t know!”

Of course, we might well feel that it depends on how the rest of our life is going. If we’re stressed out, it can be hard to see evidence of God, or to connect with anything spiritual at all.

In the stories of the Bible, there are times when God’s presence and His message is made perfectly clear. But there are other times when God seems to be hidden. The Bible often pictures God as Light, which is why Jesus called Himself the Light of the World. But the Bible sometimes connects God with Darkness, in the sense that none of us can fully understand God, and that sometimes the starting point for true knowledge of God is a willingness to strip away false pictures of who we think He might be. For example, there’s this fascinating verse in Chapter 20 of the book of Exodus: “Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was”.

I think for many people, it’s hard to see where God is, especially in these times. We’re seeing livelihoods disappearing before our eyes and are struggling with being separated from loved ones. We look around us and say “God, where are you!” And sometimes God seems nowhere to be found. We can feel and know deep in our hearts that God is present and cares for us, but at the same time yearn for some evidence, some sighting of God at work in our lives.

And then something beautiful, wonderful, unexpected happens and it’s like the sun breaking through on an overcast day, and we’re reminded that God is there after all.

Prayer for Today
In the light and in the darkness, You are there, O God;
In the light and in the darkness, You hold me safe, O God;
In the light and in the darkness, You are there for me. Amen