Can’t See Him

Yet when He comes near, I cannot see Him. When He moves by, I do not see him go. Job 9:11

I was thinking the other day – There are many seasons; sometimes years, in our lives when; although God promises to never leave us, we cannot see Him…and we definitely struggle to feel him.

There is a great song out right now by Hillsong United that states:

There was another in the fire
Standing next to me
There was another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
Of how I’ve been set free
There is a cross that bears the burden
Where another died for me
There is another in the fire

The first two lines are referencing the story of Shadrack, Meshack & Abednego (Rack, Shack & Benny if you’re a Veggie Tale Fan) when they are thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzer, the king of Babylon. Prior to being thrown in, they boldly say to the king, “if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it…But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3)

We read that “these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty.’ He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:24-25)

The king calls to them, and they come out. They are completely untouched by the fire…and yet there is no doubt they were in fact in the fire.

It strikes me that if my friends and I were in a fire and Jesus showed up, we’d be all over him. [BTW – I tend to think that whenever God shows up in human form in the Old Testament, He comes as Jesus.] It would be visibly obvious to all those observing that we were fully aware of His presence. There would be hugs, kneeling, at the least, a handshake. Well, there is zero reference to this in the story. True, they are walking around untied, completely unhindered by the flames, but it doesn’t make any reference whatsoever to the fact that they actually saw God in there with them…and yet He was, and it was obvious to all those looking in from the outside.

How many times in our lives do we panic or get angry because we can’t see God working or feel His presence? The truth is; although WE may not feel him, those around us are keenly aware He is there. They watch in amazement as they witness his power moving in us and around us.

What a powerful reminder that our God keeps his promises. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

And just like Rack, Sack, & Benny, we can be totally confident that our God is right there in the fire with us. He has the power to deliver us if He chooses, but regardless, He is always there!

There’s a story in the New Testament that speaks to the same truth.

Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and go on ahead of him. As evening came, a heavy wind began smashing against the boat. Jesus sees this and goes “out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out…Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed.” Mark 6:45-51

I wonder, as we are going through trials in our lives, if Jesus isn’t walking by just waiting for us to call out to him. Think about it, if those disciples had continued to keep their focus on the strong winds & allowed themselves to be completely overwhelmed by them, they could have missed seeing Jesus. But again, whether they saw him or not, he was still there.

Unlike the three in the fire who went into the situation completely trusting that God was in control, the disciples were still learning to trust Him amidst their storms. Either way, we cannot miss the truth that Jesus was there in both situations.

I don’t know if those three guys did or did not see Jesus in the fire with them that day, but it speaks volumes to their faith, that regardless, they knew he would be there.

In The Meanwhile…

Whatever we go through; huge or small, let’s choose to know that our ever-present God is always right there with us. And be encouraged. If we choose to trust Him in the midst of our fire, even when we don’t feel him, we can be sure that those who are looking at us WILL SEE HIM…and their lives will never be the same.