“I AM WHO I AM.”

Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Sometimes I wonder where exactly God hangs out. We are given an image of God in a cloud shrouded, pearly gated heaven where He looks down upon us from a reclining position with flowing white beard. As comforting as that image is, I find it a bit confusing; if God is reclining in a cloud bank somewhere, how could He hear all of our prayers or keep track of everything; like the declining number of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30)? We know that Jesus came to live among us a couple of millennia ago, died for our sins and then rose again. But where did he really go when he finally ascended into heaven and where does He hang out as we await the promise of His return?  Maybe we are not supposed to know where God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit reside… and we probably wouldn’t be able to comprehend it anyway. But I can’t help it, I am curious. I really want to know.

Where would God need to be in order to know everything about me long before I was born and still be with me at the moment my body passes from this earth? Where in our known universe could God exist in order to know all of my thoughts, words and deeds? There must be another place where God operates that is outside of our understanding of time and space. That this place (wherever it is) allows God to connect with each of us is no small miracle.

2 Peter 3:8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

The place that most people ask the “where is God” question is when He seems absent. Yes, where is God in the moment of a terrorist act? Where is God when thousands are dying in wars and where is God in the face of man’s overwhelming inhumanity to man?

Sorry to disappoint but I don’t know the answer to these questions. As far as where God is when things go horribly wrong, I believe God is present but we are simply seeing the consequences of our free will actions in a culture where so many choose to live godlessly. Despite our godless culture, my sense is that God does indeed somehow live within each and every one of us and within the world around us. I don’t pretend to understand this but believe I have encountered God on many occasions here on earth through His people and through His amazing creation: a hug or a touch in a time of need… the cry of a newborn… the beauty of a sunrise… the graceful flight of a heron… a thoughtful gesture… a smile… a random act of kindness… that familiar melody that stirs your heart. Sometimes the trick is recognizing when we are in the midst of an encounter with God. Understanding these moments as the gifts they are is a true blessing.

Time is God’s way to keep everything from happening at once.
~Anonymous

Considering God’s ability to exist outside of time, it’s ironic that we can only connect with God in the present moment. I think sometimes we get so caught up regretting the past or worrying about the future that we neglect our continuous connection with God in the present. When we are able to enjoy each moment as a gift we understand how God’s timing is always perfect.