Monday, April 18, 2011

WHERE IS GOD HIDDEN?

Lonely moments.

Do you ever pray and feel like the ceiling answers back?

HELLO???

Is there anybody out there?

You cry out to the Lord, and you can hear the echo of your own voice – resounding off the deep valley walls of loneliness.

I’ve often wondered why God seems silent and hidden when I need Him the most.

Have you?

I ponder this all the time.

I wrote a poem several years ago, during a lonely time of wondering…


WHERE IS GOD HIDDEN?

Where is God hidden?
Is He high in the sky?
Or as close as a tear,
As close as a sigh?

Is He as far as the cosmos
A billion miles away?
Or a part of each breath
As I go on my way?

Is He some heavenly spirit
Somewhere distant, apart?
Or as much of my being
As each beat of my heart?

Does He watch the world spin
From some unearthly post?
Or infuse every moment
With the power of His Ghost?

Does He watch, does He see
Does He care what goes on?
Or is He joined with me daily
In a miraculous bond?

Sometimes He's silent
And I can't always tell,
If the world is on track
Or running pell-mell –

How I wish He would touch me
With His arms, with His face,
In ways so completely
Every doubt would erase…

But God remains hidden
His presence seems dim,
Sometimes when I cry out
I can't seem to reach Him.

I know of His glory
And His immeasurable grace,
But sometimes He seems missing
And gone with no trace.

Where is God hidden?
Sometimes I scream out,
Who are You really
What are You all about?

He answers.

Won't You listen?
Can't you see?

I'm a baby in a manger
A boy learning life,
A man being tempted
A man facing strife.

I've felt what you feel
Every joy, every pain,
I gave up My life
So your love I could gain.

I have not forsaken
You are never alone,
I am Creator and Father
You are one of My own.

You are held in My hand
Through the blood of My Son,
In a communion so eternal
It can NOT be undone.

Oh, Lord.

I am quiet and humbled
By the power of His Word,
My questions were so human
That the truth was obscured –

So where is God hidden?
He's here, in my heart,
Directing my pathways
As He has from the start.

Where is God hidden?
He's not! Don't you see?
The Most High of the Universe
Dwells within me.

© Sharon Kirby
October 4, 2000


Yes, He is here – as close as a heartbeat…


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

11 comments:

  1. Yes, I have found myself so many times before. As your poem so eloquently stated He is with us!

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  2. Hi Sharon,

    Lovely poem, I guess we have all probably had that feeling sometimes. Thanks for putting it into words and sharing.

    God Bless - Nita

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  3. Thank you for sharing with us Sharon so beautifully and powerfully.

    You said it all here: "Yes, He is here – as close as a heartbeat…"

    Praying a blessed Holy Week for you.

    Much love,
    Lisa

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  4. I love it!!!!! (I dislike it when other people use mulitiple exclamation marks and yet constantly do it here.)

    My two favorite stanzas are the last one and this one:

    You are held in My hand
    Through the blood of My Son,
    In a communion so eternal
    It can NOT be undone

    I love your poetry, Sharon. That's yet another gift that I wanted but didn't get. I used to try to write it but now I just enjoy the gift of others.

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  5. Amen! Beautifully written Sharon and so true. God is always with us, we may not "feel" him, but he is always with us. One of the things I cling to (okay two of the things) is that he says he does not foresake nor abandon us, he is always there. A great promise indeed, don't you think?

    betty

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  6. Amen - God is always with us - he is like the wind - we can't see it - but we can feel it at some times and not at others.

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  7. Beautifully encouraging poem, Sharon...

    I love the thought of the Lord being a part of each and every breath I take....

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  8. Beautiful poem, Sharon, and so true. He's always closer than we think or feel. Have a blessed Easter week!

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  9. You amaze me...thank you for these beautiful words...they paint a picture in my mind.

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  10. Hi Sharon -

    Thank you - that is such a lovely poem.

    Psalm 30:7 - KJV
    ...thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

    Psalm 30:11 - KJV
    Thou hast turned my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

    Isaiah 45:2,3 - KJV
    I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

    And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

    Does our Lord know how to make appearances, Sharon, or what?!

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  11. I am blessed by all of your kind comments. And yes, you have encouraged me so much. I am so thankful for each one of you!

    Yes, the Lord is near - even when I don't feel Him, even though I can't see Him - my feelings do NOT dictate the truth. And the truth is what He promised - "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

    That is a glorious promise. It's a promise that carries me through the deepest valley, the darkest night, the driest wilderness - it's a promise that carries me when I am unable to take another step.

    He is with us - He is WITH us!!

    Oh, the glorious wonder of a God who is as close as my own heartbeat, as close as each breath.

    May each of you never forget that the Almighty God of the universe lives within YOU!

    GOD BLESS!

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"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

(NOTE: Anonymous comments will be removed. Thank you for understanding.)