God is not overwhelmed.
With the myopia natural to humanity, it can be easy to view the present time as the worst time. Or, depending on your temperament and inclinations, to view the present moment as the very best in history. It is very likely that neither is true and that the present age lies somewhere between those two extremes. The perfect vantage point comes, naturally, from God, who sees what would both heartily encourage us and completely devast us.
God sees and knows all. The innumerable pains which are suffered silently within the hearts of humanity are known utterly by God. Yet He also knows the selfless acts of charity, the hidden conquering of vices, and the small but real ways people chose to love Him and each other. He sees the best and the worst of humanity, the pouring out of the hearts’ treasures and the outpouring of blood, the heroic and the demonic, the veiled humility and the brash pride of the world. I would not want to be Him, even with the ability to see how all of this works for the greatest good of each individual and the world.
And yet, God is not overwhelmed. He is not struck down by the flaws and horrors of humanity. What we did not see coming, He knew before the foundations of the world. What causes us to be overly elated, He takes with a peace which surpasses understanding. There is no plot twist, surprise, or cliffhanger for God. He knows everything and everyone completely.
It is not that He is passive or stoic or even distantly removed from our human drama. No, He is intimately involved with the very flutters of our heart, the little moments which cause a burst of joy or a piercing sorrow. He is not indifferent or unable to be moved by our plight. Rather, He is unable to be overwhelmed. The world He embraced and entered into, He has also conquered. It is sustained by His constant will and we exist through a persistent overflow of love which does not question if we are worthy. The Lord is very near and yet, thankfully, He does not get swept away in a million soundbites or the raging of violence or the bitter divisions which wend their way through the human race. He is a firm foundation, a rock, a fortress, a refuge.
I think it is common as a child to see your parents as a little inhuman. You don’t think of their daily stresses or the ways they exert themselves beyond what they want for the good of the family. Or, perhaps you did, but I never spent much time wondering how my parents’ days were at work or thinking that their day could impact how they behaved toward me. I saw they had emotions, of course, and yet they were other in a way. I expected a calmness under pressure or something semi-superhuman.
When I found out in upper elementary school that my mom was thoroughly revolted by vomit, it was a bit of a revelation. I didn’t expect she enjoyed it and yet I assumed an indifference towards it. As a kid, I always summoned her when I felt sick because I wanted her with me. The look on her face as I retched into the toilet was one I never saw and yet the gentle rubbing of my back made me feel slightly better. Despite her disinclination, she was always there when I called for her and never revealing in the moment how much she wished she were elsewhere.
Our parents give us glimpses of the face of God. This glimpse of a loving parent unfazed by the unpleasantness of the child and closely present in their time of need seems to match up quite well with who God is. He doesn’t shy away, He isn’t revolted, and He persists in willing our good. Despite the ick and the fumbling, He is intensely present to each of us, filling every cell of our being with His love and wrapping us endlessly in His mercy.
When we are caught in the lurching waves of the passing moment, He is the anchor which roots us and offers a heavenly peace which is beyond this world. When we are wrapped up in the very act of sinning, He is even there pouring out Himself for us in hopes that we would turn toward Him and receive Him. Regardless of what rages around us or within us, He is immovably regarding us with the tender mercy we long for and yet struggle to believe in.
Thank You, Lord, for not being overwhelmed. Teach me to rest in Your steady, abiding gaze which sees and knows and yet still loves.
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Photo by Shifaaz shamoon on Unsplash
Seeking After His Heart 