Is God really in our midst or not? Is God really here among us right now? Sometimes, we ask these questions in moments of great distress when we have suffered some terrible tragedy or we have fallen away from God in some way. We wonder, is God really with us?
There’s something strange about this, and it’s probably true of most of us. When everything’s going fine, when things are going along very smoothly, we don’t say, “Where is God? Why are these things happening in my life?” Is God in our midst?”
That’s what was taking place in Luke’s Gospel today (Luke 17:20-25). The Pharisees were questioning Jesus about when God’s reign would take place. Jesus says that the date is not important. What’s important is to recognize the presence of God that was already in their midst. (Jesus’ ministry was a clear sign that God’s reign had already begun.)
Our lesson from today’s Gospel is to be aware that God is always present in our lives. We couldn’t even exist if God didn’t draw us into being out of love. There would be no universe; there would be no world as we know it. None of us would be if God hadn’t drawn us into existence, and every instant that we exist is because God is sustaining us in existence. It’s God’s love that is always with us. We must not take for granted all that God has given to us.
We need to see Jesus reaching out, breaking down our barriers, engaging with you and I, enabling us to come gradually to know who he is — the Messiah, the son of God, in our midst in a very extraordinary way in Jesus Christ. It’s the son of God reaching out in love to us that breaks down those barriers, enabling us to recognize him in our daily lives.
That’s what can happen if we open ourselves up to God. We should be deeply convinced that God is in our midst right now. Through his powerful word, God is present to us. In the sacrament of the Eucharist, God is present. In the people we encounter, God is present. In the beauty of creation that surrounds us, God is present. God is always in our midst, and if we really let ourselves be aware of that, then what St. Paul says would be true for all of us: “By peace or by faith, our faith, our awareness that God is in our midst, especially in Jesus. By that faith, we have received true righteousness and we are at peace with God.”
Let us be firmly planted in our faith and not be moved, and fully realize that God is always present and in our midst.
God Is In the Midst by Deborah Ann Belka
My God, He is in the midst,
I shall not be moved . . .
He is always at my side
this He has always proved.
For, He is my sure refuge,
He has kept me safe
in Him, I have placed
every ounce, of my faith.
My God, is in the midst,
though, my troubles soar
in Him I shall rise . . .
above their anxious roar.
For, He is my helper,
ever-present, ever-near
I call upon His name . . .
to calm my every fear.
My God, He is in the midst,
continually He has proved
nothing that life brings me
shall cause me to be moved!
Deacon Allen,
Thank you for writing about God in our midst. This morning, when I woke up in a very grumpy mood I was wondering why I pray every morning. I certainly didn’t feel like it today. I wondered if God really cared…was really there…or was I deluding myself and I was really on my own here. You know, sometimes I even pray to have faith. (more often than I’d like to admit) I pray: “I do believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24) This was my very short prayer this morning sitting down to the computer to check my emails instead of going into my art room, turning on my desk lamp and opening up my prayer book as I usually do every morning. Thankfully I opened YOUR email and went to your website and read what you wrote about God in our midst. I must believe, because I know that God always answers my prayers…in His own way.
best wishes,
Stephanie
Stephanie, thank you. And it’s so true that God answers our prayers always – but in His own way and on His timetable. In our society, we want things right away. We need to pray for patience, and to let God be God. May each of us have the strength to patiently wait. And what a great prayer that is as we enter into Advent. Have a great day, and may God bless you always.