Have you ever been to a God-forsaken place? My mom thought some of the places we lived were God-forsaken. She usually said it in frustration over something that was going wrong. We moved a lot. In some places, it must have been harder for mom to see God and what he was doing.
Ezekiel had a vision of God leaving the temple. Process that. When David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel and Solomon put the Ark in the new temple, God’s glory filled the place. But when Israel went into exile, God left, too. Israel was not God-forsaken, but God was Israel-forsaken.
God promised his people, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” But Israel so often forgot God and wandered away from him. If there is distance between us and God, we must have put it there. James tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Do we believe that?
So where is God today? Is God on the temple mount, at the wailing wall, or in Bethlehem at the church of the holy nativity? These places are fascinating, powerful reminders of God’s story. But God’s story did not stop in Israel. Through the Great Commission, the good news of God’s love has encompassed the whole world. God can go anywhere and he is everywhere, omnipresent. But he chooses to make himself known where he is wanted.
When Jesus was on the cross, he experienced, once and for all what it means to be God-forsaken when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” We are forgiven because he was forsaken. God now dwells in his people. 1 Peter 2:9-10 tells us that we Christians are God’s chosen people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, God’s special possession. In fact, we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. God is near to us now. Call on him. He will answer.
