What’s Up, God?

I think we can all agree that we are in a very strange time in our world.

Trying to balance a sense of caution, concern, and calm is easier said than done.

We strive to make sense of all of it without alarming our children and making the situation worse.

A few years ago, our family made a sudden move from Virginia to Louisiana. I left my white, middle-class bubble in suburban/rural Virginia to a culturally diverse area of South Louisiana. Before arriving in Baton Rouge, the city experienced a series of racial violence and a deadly police ambush.

I strived to make sense of all of it without alarming my children.

I kept asking, “What’s up God? Open my eyes to what you doing here. What is your plan? What is your purpose?”

I knew, for our family to move to this scary place (I knew nothing about the area), God must have a plan for us there.

Shortly after we moved, catastrophic flooding closed schools for two weeks and left the area in ruins.

Again, I asked, “What’s up, God? Open my eyes to what you are doing.”

He opened my eyes wide. I saw neighbors, black and white, rescuing one another from flood waters. I saw people donating so many supplies that facilities had to rent warehouses to hold everything. People opened their doors to one another and schools opened their classrooms for teachers from other schools to use. My own friends and acquaintances from all over the country sent hundreds of dollars toiletries, household items, and school supplies which our family distributed throughout the community.

God knew Corona would happen. That may make God sound like a hateful Father, but He did.

God also knew how we would come together, in our humanity, and serve one another. He knew we would be forced to be still, prioritize our lives and relationships. He knew we would have to slow down and find contentment in our inconvenience.

Our job is not to understand God, but trust Him and open our eyes to how He is moving and working among us.

“Be still and know that I am God”(Psalm 46:10 ESV) Is a part of a popular verse we look to when our lives are chaos. If you look at the entire Psalm, we see what is going on in the world of the writer: earth giving way, trembling mountains moving into the sea, waters swelling and foaming, nations rage, kingdoms fall.

Despite all of this, read what God is doing despite the chaos in verses 8-10 (The Message) :

Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

With a heavenly perspective, God sees more than we ever could. We will never understand His ways this side of heaven. We have to stop trying to.

“See the marvels of God” – people loving each other, collecting food for schools, buying gift cards for private businesses, kids sending cards to nursing homes

“Take a step out the traffic” – Stop looking at everything that is coming at you, threatening to take you out, i.e. the virus, isolation, homeschooling your kids, working full time from home, losing an income, the unknown.

“Take a long, loving look at God” – and don’t look away. He has His eyes fixed on you, keep focusing on God who is above everything.

You will see a God who fights for us and protects us.

God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Psalm 46, The Message

*I am taking a break from the series on the ten commandments. God has given me a lot of thoughts and words about what is going on in our world and I pray that they would be comfort and encouragement to you in the coming days and weeks.