Hide Not Your Face
When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?—that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people.
Job 34:29–30
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Hide Not Your Face
In the midst of struggle and strife, it can be hard to see God in all of it. It can feel like He has abandoned us. We often wonder, where is God in the middle of my suffering? In our self-obsessed lives we too frequently place ourselves in the center of everything. So, when God does not react in a way in which we think He should have then we take it as a personal slight against us. We take on a martyr complex a accuse God of “having it out for us”. Yet this is so clearly not the case. Even though God works in His own way according to His own will and time frame, He still works for our benefit and care. Even when evil seems to be winning God is in control and on the Last Day His goodness will overcome the evil. God does not hide Himself from us, though our sin often clouds our vision, for He has revealed Himself to us in His Word and Sacraments. We see Him as He comes to us through the preaching of the Gospel. We see Him as He is placed in our mouths at the altar. We see Him as we remember daily our Baptisms. On the cross we see our God not hiding His face from us but bearing all that He is so that we might have life in Him.
Job 34:29–30
+
Hide Not Your Face
In the midst of struggle and strife, it can be hard to see God in all of it. It can feel like He has abandoned us. We often wonder, where is God in the middle of my suffering? In our self-obsessed lives we too frequently place ourselves in the center of everything. So, when God does not react in a way in which we think He should have then we take it as a personal slight against us. We take on a martyr complex a accuse God of “having it out for us”. Yet this is so clearly not the case. Even though God works in His own way according to His own will and time frame, He still works for our benefit and care. Even when evil seems to be winning God is in control and on the Last Day His goodness will overcome the evil. God does not hide Himself from us, though our sin often clouds our vision, for He has revealed Himself to us in His Word and Sacraments. We see Him as He comes to us through the preaching of the Gospel. We see Him as He is placed in our mouths at the altar. We see Him as we remember daily our Baptisms. On the cross we see our God not hiding His face from us but bearing all that He is so that we might have life in Him.
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