Peek-A-Boo

Babies and toddlers love to play peek-a-boo. Ever wonder if it is because they are laughing at us for thinking we are hidden from them while they are fully aware we are behind that blanket all the time.  It is fun to watch the delight on their face when we suddenly reappear, but the terror on their face when they look up and you have vanished from their sight is quite the opposite. You were just there in the room with them and now you are not and a blood curdling cry rapidly follows that realization. Rightly so. We are their security. We are the ones who provide their food and their comfort and protection. Human babies are helpless without us to care for them, however, if we are always providing that care, we discover they never learn the art of self-soothing and as they get older, problem solving.

So, what do you suppose is happening in the heavenly realms when our Father has seemingly left us alone and we are terrified; powerless to take care of ourselves? Do you think that perhaps He is allowing us to develop our faith muscles? To begin to realize that we can depend on Him, even when it seems He isn’t there?

I think there is likely not a single person who has walked with God who hasn’t at some point felt that God has forgotten or abandoned them. I really don’t understand how my faith can be so strong in one crisis and then in the next I can feel like God is out to lunch. I don’t get it, but God does. He knows our weakness. He knows our hearts. He knows our questions. He Knows Us!

Read the Bible and you will find that those whom we call Giants of the faith have questioned God…. Wondered if He is on vacation…. Felt abandoned by Him.  I guess that means we are in good company when our doubts and fears arise. But one thing we can learn from them is that, after the fear and anger and whatever else we feel, there is God. He never forsakes us and, though we sometimes feel forgotten, there is God.  When our trials seem more than we can bear, there is God. When our sorrow weighs us down to the point of feeling crushed, there is God. When we don’t understand why or when life isn’t fair, there is God.

Voice your concerns to Him. Cry out to Him. Tell Him what is in your heart. He is ready to hear from you and is able to take whatever criticism you may have. In the end, you will find He is there, listening. He is there, ready to calm your soul. He is there, with a balm for your weariness. He is there. He never left. Perhaps He is just around the corner helping you learn to exercise your faith muscles.