Where is God When We Try to Make Sense of Life? Mark14.27-31,70-72  10.30 Sun 9 April 2006

Some time ago a group of hyper-intelligent pan dimensional beings decided to finally answer the great question of Life, The Universe and Everything.

To this end they built an incredibly powerful computer, ‘Deep Thought’. After the great computer programme had run (a very quick seven and a half million years) the answer was announced.

The Ultimate answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is...            (You're not going to like it...) Is...  42

Which suggests that, what you really need to know, is 'What was the Question?'

What was the actual question?

I am of course, quoting the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. Not a science book, not the Bible!

It seems to me that when believers question God they do it at times of extremes. May be there has been a disaster in the world, or a member of the close family is ill. The question is, “Where is God when there is suffering.

No doubt Simon Peter and the other ten disciples asked that question when Jesus was arrested. They ALL ran away.

What we have forgotten, is that, we started to try and make sense of life when we were babies. Many marvellous things we now just accept as normal.

Young babies are given toys to feel. Some smooth and soft, some hard, some crunchy. They are trying to make sense of the different textures they touch, and put them their mouths.

What is your favourite material to touch?

What about those other things you now take for granted. Things you discovered as a baby and toddler, and later in your life that now you take for granted.

Why do you like some colours and not others? What is light and the visible spectrum, anyway? Just a moving wave of energy.

Why do you like music? What is music? Just moving air rather like waves on the sea. Why should some noises be pleasant, music to our ears. Differently appreciated by each person.

What is your favourite food? Yogurt, chocolate, chips, steak? Do you eat because you enjoy eating or to keep yourself alive? God could have designed us to know we need to eat, but why do we have to enjoy what we eat?

Do you like flowers? Why should we like flowers? Their main purpose is for reproduction of the parent plant. They need to attract insects, but not us. So why should we find them attractive?

How do you make sense of all the good things in your life. Why do you enjoy them?

Many of our scientific laws are relatively simple. A baby soon learns that if it drops a toy from its high chair it will hit the floor. At first the baby looks shocked. Where did that go? Soon it becomes a game.

An older child can accurately throw a ball to hit a target.

You can calculate if you have time to cross the road before being hit by an approaching car. The distance a moving object travels can be calculated by the formula, if you remember from school s = ut + ½ at² where s = the distance, u the initial speed, a the acceleration, and t the time.

Man has already discovered that the effects of many actions can be calculated mathematically. Some are really complicated formulas, but never-the-less they follow a formula. They can be repeated.

Just imagine if things weren’t like that. Throw a ball to someone and one time it might come back two days later and hit you on the back of head. Another time it might drop to the floor instantly. Life would be impossibly chaotic.

We tend to forget that God has made life so that we can make sense of it most of the time.

God has made life so that we can make sense of it most of the time.

In fact the world and our bodies seems to be designed for our pleasure and enjoyment.

Why should God do that unless he loves us?

What sort of God do you believe in?

If you asked the angels if they believed in God all would answer, “Yes”. If you asked them if they trusted and followed God, then Lucifer and his followers would answer “no”.

People aren’t so straight forward. If you ask people if they believe in God, some will answer “yes” and some will answer “no”. The people who answer “no” very often mean they don’t believe in a loving, Father God. But they believe in a creator God who doesn’t care.

They have forgotten, how as a small child they discovered life does make sense. They are concentrating on what they can’t understand, and not on what they do understand.

Those who answer, “yes” they believe in God may believe and trust in God. They may love him. On the other hand they may be little different, to those who answer “no”, as they aren’t committed to obeying God.

It was mentioned in the Lent Course booklet that our word ‘believe’ doesn’t have the force of the Greek word which literally means ‘give yourself over to’, ‘risk your life on’.

Take the well know verse -

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NLT)

I looked up the word translated “believes” - pisteuo pist-yoo'-o. The dictionary says it means “believe, committed to, put ones trust in”

So it should read more like –

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes, and is committed to obey and trust in him, will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NLT)

Fewer people would say they were believers if they knew the Greek meaning of the word. Many people who say they are Christians are not committed to, and definitely don’t trust God. Many aren’t even committed to a church fellowship, and worship.

So why don’t they Trust God?

Sometimes, let’s face it, just arrogance. They don’t believe they need God. Others see someone else’s suffering in the world and use their suffering as an excuse to ignore God.

Has anything ever happened to you, that you didn’t understand? Did you wonder, ‘God have you forgotten me’? Have you stopped loving me?

In Isaiah 49:15 Our creator God asks,  Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!

I mentioned Peter earlier denying he knew Jesus before the cock crowed. Peter then remembered Jesus’ prophetic words to him –

"Peter," Jesus replied, "the truth is, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." (Mark 14:30 NLT)

As soon as he realised what he had done Peter repented and

“He broke down and cried.” (Mark 14:72 NLT)

To Peter and all who believe, trust, and obey God, Jesus said.

Jesus replied, "All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and WE WILL COME to them and LIVE WITH THEM. (John 14:23 NLT)

We can’t make sense of everything, especially at the time that bad are things happening. But we must remember like Peter discovered, God knows what is going to happen and he understands both us and the reason for what happens.

If we are living according to God’s purpose for us we know that, “God causes everything to work together for the good of us who love Him, and live according to his purpose”. Romans 8:28

Where is God when we try and make sense of life?

A few weeks ago in a meeting, at the start of Lent, someone suggested spending ten minutes a day speaking out loud, things that we were thankful to God for. The first time I tried it wasn’t easy. I soon realised I had taken many of God’s blessing for granted.

So what we should do, at times when life does make sense, is this –

We should spend time naming those things that we enjoy and are thankful to God for.

He made us because he loves us. He made us appreciate his creation.

We need to build up our TRUST, and LOVE for God who has designed so many things for us to enjoy.

So that when life is hard, and does not seem to make sense, our love and trust does not fail.