The hidden God

O my God how does it happen in this poor old world that Thou art so great and yet nobody finds Thee, that Thou callest so loudly and nobody hears Thee, that Thou art so near and nobody feels Thee, that Thou givest Thyself to everybody and nobody knows Thy name? 

- Hans Denk, 16th century German theologian, Anabaptist, and mystic

This quote expresses the depth of the question that has been pondered throughout the ages: Where art Thou o God? One does not have to be a skeptic to honestly wonder why it is that a supposed God of the universe is not more obvious to us. Why is it that people bustle around day to day, caught up in the mundane tasks of living, obsessing about things that are fleeting and never concerning themselves with the fact of death, the pain of existing, and the glory of life? If God is real, how can so many people ignore such a reality of existence? How can apathy concerning the ultimate questions persist?

I have a friend who has told me several times that if God would just do one miracle for him (maybe come down from the sky in a streak of fire or whatever), then he would believe in and worship God. Of course such a request, though certainly understandable, is not realistic. Even if such a miracle did occur, my friend could easily attribute it to a natural cause and as time passed, would begin to doubt the event. And this not even to speak of future generations who, if they did not see such a miraculous event first-hand, would not believe, just as my friend does not now believe. Fortunately, I think that there is another way that does not leave us asking for a literal action of the heavens breaking forth and fire appearing before we can believe. Rather, belief comes when our eyes are opened to the miracle of life. We are alive. Tell yourself that. Think about it. Let it bother you and shake you. You exist.

Sometimes as you ponder these things, a feeling washes over you, and you are actually aware that you are alive. Indeed, everything dances with life and exudes mystery. And in these beautiful moments, the hidden God is perceived– the God of Beauty, Truth, and Grace. You experience a peace that makes whole that which is fragmented. It is the healing of salvation.

And then you repeat the words of Denk. How is it o God that Thou art so great, yet hidden? But you have experienced the answer– because it could not be any other way.