The Absence and Presence of God
I’m always especially encouraged when something I read in the Daily Prayer—that collection of scriptures and prayers woven together by the Church of England—speaks directly to my present circumstances. It happens often enough, to be sure, but did so especially profoundly this morning.
I’ve been searching for language to express the mixture of feelings I have about trying to understand, theologically, the rapid and at times fear-inducing spread of the novel coronavirus which produces the COVID-19 disease. How should I think about it in light of the love, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, justice, and sovereignty of God; the goodness and fallenness of humanity and all creation; and the freedom we have and constraints we face in shaping—for good and bad—our own circumstances?
And there are so many competing Christian perspectives. Some understand the coronavirus as a punishment of God. Some believe God will simply end the pandemic, especially if enough people pray. Some suggest God has a distinct plan for us in this crisis, whether individually or collectively. Some stand on the principle that creation unfolds more or less independently of any particular divine intervention.
Many and diverse biblical texts speak for and against all of these ideas. Most of us have enough time these days to search the scriptures on these topics, if we are so inclined. What we find is a complex picture. In the face of passages that point to God’s judgment through plague or death (Numbers 16), Jesus refutes the disciples’ assumption that blindness is a punishment for sin (John 9). Against scriptural texts that describe God’s direct intervention in natural events (Luke 8), we read that the sun rises on the good and the evil, while the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5). In contrast to the passages in which we learn that trials refine us and prove our faith (1 Peter 1), we are struck silent with Job—bewildered at the mystery of suffering unrelated to his lifestyle and character. At times, the world and our lives are full of meaning. At times, everything is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 1).
This morning, as I read Psalm 77, Asaph the Psalmist reminded me of the Bible’s rich store of language—words that help me understand my experience of life and navigate its weighty challenges.
The sense of isolation, of abandonment, of God’s absence—the feeling that maybe God has rejected us, or even that God might be against us!
The realization of God’s presence—the reminder that time and again, God has been merciful and faithful to his people, to his creation. A conviction that God will hear our cries for help. The assurance that God is not caught out—that God is not incapable, that God knows the answers.
In Psalm 77, the psalmist recalls God’s past faithfulness to the Children of Israel, especially during their Exodus from Egypt, their liberation from slavery, their rescue from a long and unrelenting period of suffering. It was there, we read—as so often in Scripture—that God displayed his power over the waters (those forces of chaos, destruction, and disorder) and shepherded his people along the strangest and unlikeliest of paths: “The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and were afraid. … Your way was in the sea, and your paths in the great waters, but your footsteps were not known. You led your people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
These days, I find myself praying for God’s mercy against the coronavirus, for wisdom to make good decisions in the face of uncertainty, for courage in the face of fear, for provision for those in difficult circumstances, for comfort for those who mourn, and for wisdom and strength and courage for political leaders and medical workers.
But it’s still a time of great uncertainty. Like the ancient Israelites, we may not know what the coming weeks, months, and years will hold. We may often feel the absence of God.
May we also sense the presence of God, especially as we remember God’s long, faithful history of saving grace.
Here is Psalm 77. I offer it to you as the Word of the Lord.
Psalm 77
Refrain: In the day of my trouble I have sought the Lord.
1 I cry aloud to God; I cry aloud to God and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I have sought the Lord; by night my hand is stretched out and does not tire; my soul refuses comfort.
3 I think upon God and I groan; I ponder, and my spirit faints.
4 You will not let my eyelids close; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old; I remember the years long past;
6 I commune with my heart in the night; my spirit searches for understanding.
7 Will the Lord cast us off for ever? Will he no more show us his favour?
8 Has his loving mercy clean gone for ever? Has his promise come to an end for evermore?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he shut up his compassion in displeasure?
10 And I said, ‘My grief is this: that the right hand of the Most High has lost its strength.’
11 I will remember the works of the Lord and call to mind your wonders of old time.
12 I will meditate on all your works and ponder your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy; who is so great a god as our God?
14 You are the God who worked wonders and declared your power among the peoples.
15 With a mighty arm you redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and were afraid; the depths also were troubled.
17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side;
18 The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the ground; the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea, and your paths in the great waters, but your footsteps were not known.
20 You led your people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Refrain: In the day of my trouble I have sought the Lord.
God our shepherd,
you led us and saved us in times of old;
do not forget your people in their troubles,
but raise up your power
to sustain the poor and helpless;
for the honour of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Kyle Jantzen 
Good read Kyle. Gracias.
Wow Kyle that’s very profound. Yes Psalm 77 one of my favourites and especially the verse where His footsteps cannot be known… thanks for this. Laura