From generation to generation, this is a timely (even a perennial) question, more often than not raised in moments of crisis and confusion or in the experience of suffering, tragedy, injustice or loss. Angry, frustrated and disillusioned, the Israelites - our spiritual ancestors - posed the question to Moses in the midst of the seemingly aimless desert trek on which they had been led. We ask the same question in our own ways every day, whether due to global events like terrorism, war, famine and disease or our own personal struggles, including unemployment, illness, death and relational issues.
Moreover, it is the perfect question to reflect upon as we progress in our Lenten journey.
At least intellectually, we do believe that God is truly in our midst. Francis de Sales certainly did, but for him, this was no mere intellectual assent: this was a core belief: “There is no place or thing in this world in which God is not truly present. Just as wherever birds fly they always encounter the air, so also wherever we go or wherever we are God is truly present.” (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 2)
However, in our eagerness for God to spring water from the rock in times of doubt or adversity, we often forget the fact God has been with us all along the way. In moments of crisis, those who encourage us with a kind word, good turn, or attentive ear can reflect to us the immediacy of God's faithful, ongoing presence: a presence likewise experienced in Scripture heard, Eucharist shared and prayer raised up.
Still, despite our best intentions and attention, we sometimes panic and miss the obvious in our frantic search for the Lord, especially in times of great need. God is, as it were, ‘hidden in plain sight.’ We forget that God is as near to us as the very air we breathe a mistake that the Samaritan woman almost makes in her own encounter with Jesus at the well. The Lord is in her midst – in fact, he is right in front of her – but this spontaneous request for a drink from a Jewish male is so astonishing that she almost fails to recognize who is speaking with her. Happily, she realizes that it could “possibly be the Christ” and gratitude stirs her to abandon her water jar, run to town and announce to the people the Good News of her encounter with Jesus.
Whether in the desert or at the well, signs of God's presence are always in our midst and, like the woman in the Gospel, this is something for which we should be grateful. The gratitude we feel and express for these signs produces trust: trust in God and trust in those who are signs of God's love for us. “Just trust in the Lord,” St. Francis de Sales writes, “and He will continue to lead you safely through all things. Where you cannot walk, God will carry you in His arms.”
In gratitude for those times when we have been carried in the Lord's arms, may we become signs of God's presence for others.
