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I’m sure many of us have been wondering what exactly God is doing during these tough economic times…Is He being silent as we fall apart?  Is He punishing us for past sins?  Is He ignoring our cries for help?  Is He happy, sad, patient, wise, loving…  What is His role in this recession?

I think John Piper makes a few great points here that are worth hearing.  He does tie it in with some specific things going on at his own church, but the overall message is pretty much universal at this time in our world.  I like how he looks at the big picture and reminds us of God’s greatness.  And I like that he’s passionate about God being at work through this time…not in spite of it.  God is not on vacation, He’s constantly at work in this world, we just sometimes forget to look for it.

What did you think about the sermon?  Any thoughts?

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Isn’t it kind of amazing and mind-blowing when God starts talking? You find that when you read a book it sounds like Him answering your questions. And you feel like everywhere you go somebody is saying something or you’re seeing something that pertains to your current situation. I love when God works that way. It feels like there can be long periods of time when He’s silent and we’re just going about our lives…but then He starts talking and we can’t help but to hear Him.

I have a theory about these times of silence and conversation with God. I think there is a threshold within each of us…kind of a limit to how deep our hearts will go. This threshold takes effort to push beyond. Something important needs to happen to push past this limit and allow our hearts to really “feel”. When we fall in love, the magnitude of our emotions easily pushes past this limit. And when we’re face with a serious crisis, our hearts are fully engaged to the deepest level. I think when we get deep enough, and pass this level, then our eyes and ears are really opened to searching, yearning, and crying out to God. The question is, why do we spend our lives typically living in the shallow end of our hearts? If God can speak at any time, why do we limit our conversations with Him by staying superficial?

Maybe this is what the Bible writers called “hardness of heart”? Maybe they understood how hardened we can be and how tough it is to get past that threshold within our own minds. For me, I want to try to push past it and look, listen, and feel God all the time – not just when the weight of life forces me into the depths of my heart. Why is it so hard for us to “feel” unless life forces us to? Why can’t we generate that intensity on our own?

Maybe that’s what our relationships are for? Maybe God knew that we couldn’t reach that connection with Him without others to help us get there…

Could He perhaps have designed the entire world that way because He knew us that well?

Who do you need?