In one of Frederick Buechner’s sermons, he envisions a scenario where the stars in the night sky rearrange themselves to spell out the declaration: “I exist!” He suggests that if such a celestial event were to occur, it would initially trigger a wave of belief and devotion. But the novelty would fade over time. Skeptics would seek alternative explanations. Philosophers would engage in debates. Linguists would dissect the meaning. People would grow less astonished, startled, or awed by the celestial message.
Buechner’s point is that people would likely demand more evidence rather than give themselves over to wonder, awe, and trust. I resonate with his insight. My deeper and more troubling questions consider the nature of God. I contemplate whether God possesses a kind and compassionate countenance or appears disinterested. To know someone, it helps to see them face-to-face. And how would that voice come to me?
I remember Moses, who, according to Exodus 33:11, spoke to God “face-to-face as one speaks to a friend.” Moses and God share a close relationship beginning with the encounter at the burning bush. By Exodus 33, God has called Moses up the mountain for a conversation while the Hebrews wait below. They grow restless and demand a more tangible, immediate God. They create a golden calf to worship, provoking God’s deep anger.
Moses intercedes on behalf of the people, reminding God that the Exodus was God’s own idea — and that God had promised support and assistance. God responds not with razzle-dazzle, but with a humble offer to reveal the fruit of God’s own life: goodness, grace, and mercy.
While we can feel unbearably distant from God and fail to see evidence of God at work, attempting to close that gap ourselves can be perilous. God cannot be limited or contained within human understanding, and our anxiety can lead us to fashion a God in our own image.
To walk in faith is, in part, a call to release our certainty while not giving in to our skepticism. In the gap between being sure and having doubts, we discover a place where faith and self-reflection come together. Certainty gives us comfort and direction. Doubt encourages us to explore our lives more deeply and critically. In that desert place, asking questions can lead to new insights from God, and sometimes doubt can even strengthen our faith.
“No one has ever seen God,” John tells us in the prologue of his Gospel, “but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (John 1:18) He is speaking of Jesus — the one who, all the way at the end of the Gospel, shows how God’s promise to Moses in the desert is ours as well, through a simple and profound invitation: “Follow me.” (John 21:19)
Let us continue the walk together with God.
Grace & Peace,