Monday, November 7, 2011

Daily Devotion - Monday, November 7

God: Absent or Present

“Search me, O God, and know my heart:
Test me and know my thoughts,
See if there is any wicked way in me
Lead me in the way everlasting.”

--Words of an old songwriter
Psalm 139:23, 24

We begin another week and it feels like it is time to explore one of life’s difficult dilemmas. Is God present or absent?
• In the past several weeks, I’ve encountered too many associates who are dealing with life shattering experiences at a personal level.
• Added to that I’ve visited with too many families who are flooded by the torrential rains that are sweeping through their lives.
• Added to that I’ve watched natural disaster after natural disaster reap devastation upon masses of people who were not prepared for violent acts of nature.

“The problems of life often overwhelm us. The concreteness and immediacy of present misery seldom permit sufficient distance to see and experience a larger presence,”
wrote Henri Nouwen in 1989.

As we begin this week, I want to challenge you to be attentive. Be attentive to the moments when you feel the absence of God and to the moments when you feel the presence of God. May your experiences and your reflections find your spirit wrestling with this difficult dilemma of life.

--Ben Keckler
11.07.11

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