Category: Spirituality

WHY SEEK THE INVISIBLE GOD?

 

Seeking God

There are times when we’re just so lonely and hurting that we can’t help but wonder if there is indeed a God who sees us, a God to whom we can go to when we have no else, not even our own strength.

But we are disheartened by our miseries, and by all the tragedies we see in the world.  In our minds, we fail to see a good God who cares for His children.  We ask, “How can there be a God in all these?”

 

Is There a God?

If I say that there is no God, I’d say there is no God who is responsible for all the unfairness and brutalities in this life, but then I’d also say that there is NO HOPE for all the victims of these brutalities. So I’d say there is a God, and that there is HOPE, and all is not yet lost.

Some people say that there is so much darkness in this world, and that is why we shouldn’t believe in God anymore. But I say that it is because there is so much darkness that I dare declare there is a God who can all bring us into the LIGHT. 😉 Jesus suffered and died, but God did not stop there. Jesus came out from death and lived again, and that is God’s plan for everyone.

I will show love to those who were called “Unloved,” … -Hosea 2:23

The Unseen God

Have you ever wondered why God is invisible? Why can’t we just see Him or even hear Him? Wouldn’t it have been better to be able to hear exactly what He wants us to do in our lives? But then again, do we really want that to happen?

The truth is that God is not invisible! He is only invisible because we wanted Him that way. We don’t want God meddling in our affairs or even showing His approval or disapproval in what we do. We want independence and freedom. We want to be apart from God!

Yet is God really apart from us? Not at all. God is watching us ever more closely, though with a veil so as not to be seen by those who don’t want to see Him. But in moments when we can’t take it anymore, in those moments in our lives when we’ve done all we could and achieved everything we felt like achieving and still felt empty, God is still there, ready to listen and to take us back. All we need is to approach the unseen God so we can finally see clearly the meaning of our lives.

Why We Come To God

We come to God in our restlessness, in our defeat, because we sought the answers to our troubles and we haven’t found what we’ve been looking for.

God understands our sorrow and our emptiness, and He is willing to heal us and to fill our hearts to the full so we can be whole again.

Oftentimes however, He is not able to do that because we remain unwilling to receive His answers.

Even in times when we seem to seek God,  in our hearts, we are not really looking for Him.  What we are looking for is a kind of genie whose powers can give us the world – the job we wanted to have, the partner we wanted to marry, the repentance of the person who caused us pain.  We do not seek God in order to find God, but to fill our hearts with something else!

Imagine courting a girl not because you really love her but because you want to have her wealth or acquire a good position in society.  Would this arrangement really be able to give you true and lasting joy?  What is it that you really seek?

God is More Than Enough

We often wonder why God often takes too long a time before He could answer our prayers, and the answer is that it took us that long a time before we could surrender to Him all our concerns.

How long did it take you to pray, “God, help me, do as you please and may Your best plan be done in my life!”

His best plan, not our own plans from our limited powers and understanding.

We don’t come to God so we can gain the world. We come to God because when we have God,we won’t need anything more!

One who is truly HAPPY in GOD is far away from evil. Her heart is so full of JOY that there is no more room for resentment, or anger, or unforgiveness or pride. All that there is is LOVE and utmost gratitude for all that she has received. There is no temptation that can steal her glance away from her LOVER for nothing and nobody else could ever be more beautiful than HE!

 

What Has God Done For Me So Far?

For many of us, God seems to be that faraway deity who watches over our troubled affairs, and never really doing anything to help us.  For many of us, God is a god who does NOTHING at all that benefits us!

In truth, it is God who does EVERYTHING, everything that is GOOD.

It is God who made the world we’re living in, who made the day and the night, who planted every tree that yields its fruits and who gathered the clouds to fall as rain and cause the crops to grow.  It is God who gave us breath, who gave us freewill, who gave us the opportunity to love and be loved in return.

It is God who gave us enough time on earth to know Him and to turn from our harmful ways.  It is God who sustains the sun and the earth, for both the good and the bad, for both the ones who acknowledge Him and for those who don’t.

It is God who sees each heartbreak.  It is God who came down to live as a man like us, and to be broken as well, so He might heal us and lead us to the Light.  It is God who chose to suffer injustice, betrayal and contempt so we may know that there is always One who understands us in our sorrows.  It is God who rose from death to life, so He might lead us to an everlasting One, far from any sickness and imperfection we now suffer from.

It is God who made everything for us, and who gave us the power to choose between life and death, between good and evil.  God isn’t just a God who waits, but a God who pursues us always until we can find our way back home to Him.

 

The One Who Pursues Us

It is God who pursues us

who uplifts us

and protects us

and provides for everything we need

It is God who loved us first

who showers us with every good thing

we do not even know

All that is required of us

is the faith to believe

that He is there

that He is our Greatest Lover

the source of all that’s wonderful

there is in our lives

It is our part to be able to receive

such a love

to rejoice

because we have been called

because we have been found

because we learn

that despite the mundaneness of what we see

we are special

we are cherrised

we are in truth

God’s beloved ones.

God is absolute, personal and good

Man is free

Life is infinitely getting better

unless we resist it (for the time being)

Life is both changing and unchanging

Sin is resisting what is good

We are not lost (for God has found us)

We are not being mercilessly punished (for we are forgiven)

We are not dreaming or suffering from illusion (for God is real)

We are here

God is here

Love is here

always

The difference between pride and grace
is also the difference between pride and love,
for love is grace,
GRACE is love undeserved.

Pride is saying, “I deserved this, I alone worked for it!”
Grace is saying, “I deserved none of this, but ye have given me all.”

Pride is saying, “I owe nothing to anyone.”
Grace is saying, “I owe much, and yet I was forgiven.”

Pride is reaping exactly what one has expected.
Grace is astounded by the great harvest one has reaped.

Pride is saying, “I am God.”
Grace is saying, “God loves me and lives in me.”

Pride delights in judgment.
Grace uplifts the lowly with understanding.

Pride is always envious, because it sees itself more worthy than the rest.
Grace invokes only thankfulness, because it gives to those who deem themselves unworthy of it.

Pride is impatient with faults, because it fears rejection.
Grace is patient and kind, for the love it gives is without condition.

Pride is prone to greed, because it is afraid of poverty.
Grace fills those who are poor in spirit, and they shall lack nothing more.

Have you ever wondered why God is invisible? Why can’t we just see Him or even hear Him? Wouldn’t it have been better to be able to hear exactly what He wants us to do in our lives? But then again, do we really want that to happen?

The truth is that God is not invisible! He is only invisible because we wanted Him that way. We don’t want God meddling in our affairs or even showing His approval or disapproval in what we do. We want independence and freedom. We want to be apart from God!

Yet is God really apart from us? Not at all. God is watching us ever more closely, though with a veil so as not to be seen by those who don’t want to see Him. But in moments when we can’t take it anymore, in those moments in our lives when we’ve done all we could and achieved everything we felt like achieving and still felt empty, God is still there, ready to listen and to take us back. All we need is to approach the unseen God so we can finally see clearly the meaning of our lives.

If someone invites you to watch a Broadway musicale along with free plane tickets, would you come? What if you were invited to attend the Olympics? How about watching the World Cup?

But what if someone sends you a once in a lifetime guaranteed seat to heaven’s great feast at the end of time? Would you come?

You must be wondering why I need to ask such questions. You may ask in return, “Who would ever turn down such invitations?” You may also just ask, “Why not?”

And yet my friend, that’s just what I might have done.

The Invitation

Not too long ago, my good friend invited me to attend a celebration meant to be a tribute to a kind old man we both knew. As I had no other plans for the scheduled date, I nodded saying to myself, “Why not?” We both loved the man, and for all the wonderful things he did, why not come and celebrate with others whose lives were blessed because of him?

Now I’m not the social kind of person, and I didn’t know most of the people who would come. I also had some struggles in relating to some people whom I felt didn’t like me at all. Still, I thought, “Why not? I’ll do it for the old man, and for my friend.”

The Day of the Celebration

The week passed by and I was weighed down emotionally by struggles in my personal life. When the day of the celebration came, I was really not feeling well that I almost took a leave from work. However, I thought that locking myself up in my room all day just wouldn’t work, and I’d just feel worse doing nothing. So even though I was already late, I got myself ready and went to work.

The afternoon passed by quickly and after office hours, I got ready to attend the event with my friend. After all, I thought, it would only take a short time.

To my surprise, my friend informed me that the celebration would be done somewhere far, and we had to take a cab to get there. On our way, the cab driver even kept on informing us just how much traffic there was on a Friday evening, warning us we may just be wasting our time trying to get through.

We thought about it and how difficult it would be trying to go home later from such a place. But since we were already on our way, we resigned ourselves to whatever difficulties we may encounter.

We then went on, braving through the snail-phased traffic, not knowing if we’d make it on time. We were not even sure how we’d find the place or how we’d manage to go home later.

We just went on, and surely, it was one of those decisions you’d always be glad you’ve made!

The Feast

Before I continue, I’d like to give you a short background of the event I’m talking about. Our kind old man is a priest who serves as an inspiration for many people including a foundation that helps provide for the education and well-being of the youth. Said foundation gathers street-children, nourishes them, and supports them in their academic needs.

These same children were the ones who greeted us as soon as we entered the school grounds. They quickly took our hands and placed our hands upon their foreheads as with a bow, a sign of deep respect also called “pagmamano” in Filipino. Such was the first sign of heaven: angels that greet you with warmth, eagerness, respect and joy!

How different indeed was the way I had been treated coldly by people to whom I didn’t seem to matter at all. How different there where I was seen, where my presence was appreciated, where I had been eagerly awaited without my knowing.

We were led by these angels toward the room where the mass was being held. It was a simple room with just the right number of people—not too few as to make the place appear forlorn but not too many as to gather a nameless crowd without that pleasant feeling that all who have gathered were each chosen and uniquely called.

After the mass, we were again led by those angels toward the gymnasium where a short program would be held. My friend and I took our seats in front together with the few guests who seemed so close to our kind old man; guests who contributed a lot of time, effort and resources to uplift the cause of the foundation.

I felt special to be among them. But at the same time, I felt so small in myself. I knew in my heart that I haven’t done as much, nor have I known the old man that long and well. Still, I was there, and I witnessed the most beautiful numbers prepared by the children for the event. What they saw, I saw. What they received, I also received. And I was blessed indeed.

The Children

The show the children performed had no extraordinary pomp or special effects, nor did it show exemplary skill in singing, dancing and the like. But I guess what made it beautiful was their simplicity, purity of heart, and devotion to whatever it was they were doing.

They were street-children who had very few in life—in material things, and maybe even in emotional and family support. But instead of rebelliousness, there was gratitude; instead of hopelessness, there was joy. They were a group of kids who were able to act as one and deliver what it was they were taught to do.

And just in doing that, they were able to move the heart of our kind old man and make him happy, even really proud. At the end of the show, he was able to say these touching words, “my real grand grand children!”

He claimed them as his very own. And for kids who have nothing and nobody, what a joy it is for someone to passionately claim them as a real family and to be very proud of them!

They worked hard to pay tribute to a noble man, and yet they too were honored and rewarded for all that they have done.

My friend and I couldn’t help but pray more children of their generation may be like them. Maybe then this world may finally see its true hope.

After the program, we were led to the dining area for a fitting close to the celebration. What joy to be there and to share the feast that has been prepared not only with diligence but with great love.

I thought it would be a simple dinner. But it was gourmet food all the way! My friend and I really couldn’t ask for more.

Will heaven’s feast be such as this? Is this a blessed glimpse of what is to come?

There are invitations that come to us bringing fancy pictures and expectations to our minds only to fail us in the end.

But there are invitations such as this one. Ones that come in simple packages and promises nothing but a communion of hearts and sincere intentions. Such kinds are the ones that truly amaze us with beauty of the lasting kind and fills us with a feast from which we shall hunger and thirst no more.

He said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.’” He said to me, “These are true words of God.” – Revelation 19:9, WEB-BE