The Million Dollar Question
It was asked in Exodus 17:7 when God had Moses bring water out of a rock.
"And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'"
'Is the Lord among us or not?'
It has been asked for centuries.
It was asked by early Christians persecuted by the Roman empire.
It was asked by Jews displaced to every corner of the world after the time of Christ.
It was asked by Jews and German Christians alike during the dark hours of history overshadowed by Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.
It is asked today probably hourly around the world.
It is asked in the wake of horrible tragedy like the recent suicide bombings in Moscow or 9/11.
It is asked when natural disasters strike like the many that occurred in 2010 - Haiti earthquake, Russia heatwave and forest fires, Pakistan flooding, and the Chilean earthquake just to name a few.
It is asked by Christians persecuted for their faith in many lands today.
It is asked when relationships explode.
It is asked when financial worlds crumble.
It is asked when health and strength begin to slip away.
It is screamed from rooftops and in open fields.
It is whispered in the silent pondering of the heart.
It is mumbled from faltering lips.
It will be asked for years, decades, even centuries to come should Jesus tarry.
And yet, it has been answered. Jesus said 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' 'I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.'
Knowing He is with us, perhaps the bigger and more probing question still is 'What are you doing? How are you growing me and what are you trying to teach me through all of this?'
This is the harder question...because we don't always want to know the answer.
"And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'"
'Is the Lord among us or not?'
It has been asked for centuries.
It was asked by early Christians persecuted by the Roman empire.
It was asked by Jews displaced to every corner of the world after the time of Christ.
It was asked by Jews and German Christians alike during the dark hours of history overshadowed by Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.
It is asked today probably hourly around the world.
It is asked in the wake of horrible tragedy like the recent suicide bombings in Moscow or 9/11.
It is asked when natural disasters strike like the many that occurred in 2010 - Haiti earthquake, Russia heatwave and forest fires, Pakistan flooding, and the Chilean earthquake just to name a few.
It is asked by Christians persecuted for their faith in many lands today.
It is asked when relationships explode.
It is asked when financial worlds crumble.
It is asked when health and strength begin to slip away.
It is screamed from rooftops and in open fields.
It is whispered in the silent pondering of the heart.
It is mumbled from faltering lips.
It will be asked for years, decades, even centuries to come should Jesus tarry.
And yet, it has been answered. Jesus said 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' 'I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.'
Knowing He is with us, perhaps the bigger and more probing question still is 'What are you doing? How are you growing me and what are you trying to teach me through all of this?'
This is the harder question...because we don't always want to know the answer.
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