Social Media Musings... page 7
Just stuff, posted from time to time, not necessarily in any chronological or topical order, but fitting with the general theme of this website.
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The God Who Weeps
Facebook , January 15, 2020
The picture here is a panel from Tom King and his artistic partners, Clay Mann and Mitch (The Art of Mitch Gerads) Gerads, in "Heroes in Crisis," a DC Comics 9-part series that was published last year.
Like everything Tom writes, it was great. Like everything Mitch and Clay draw, it looked terrific. But I share this panel because it is, well, true. Very true. At least, I believe so. In the comic, the heroes have a secret place called "Sanctuary" where they can go and pour out their hearts in ways they can't with anyone or anywhere else. It's a great premise (well, that's not the whole plot, but you can read the story yourself) and on a series of pages, King and the artists show various characters in mid-therapy conversation. In case it isn't very legible for you, this panel features The Spectre saying, "I asked the Lord our God why we suffer. He didn't answer. He couldn't speak through the tears." This beautiful image, fictional though it is, captures (what I believe to be) the truthful essence of God's character. |
In the Book of Moses, one of the inspired writings provided by Joseph Smith, The Prophet, a story is told about the ancient patriarch, Enoch, Noah's ancestor who the Bible merely says "walked with God". In the story Joseph shared, Enoch is blessed with a vision of heaven, and observes,
"I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me: Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations."
As the narrative continues, Joseph writes,
"Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan was upon all the face of the earth.
"And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud voice saying: Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth.
"And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.
"And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.
"And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept."
Observing God weeping over people in their deep struggles apart from God, Enoch asks, "How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?" To which the Lord answers, first reciting the calamities that fall on the earth, and then ending with the simple truth, "wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?"
While there seems, perhaps, to be more pathos than promise in the expression, it is important for us to remember that God weeps with us in all our hardships, that he walks with us, even when our journey seems uncertain, and that he cares for us, even if we, myopic of vision and hard of heart, have difficulty feeling or believing it. We have his promise that, ultimately, our way leads home to him, if only our hearts and minds remain fixed on his path.
Today's thought: Trust God. If you cannot hear him speaking, it might just be because he is weeping over you, or over someone you love.
"I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me: Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations."
As the narrative continues, Joseph writes,
"Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan was upon all the face of the earth.
"And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud voice saying: Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth.
"And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.
"And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.
"And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept."
Observing God weeping over people in their deep struggles apart from God, Enoch asks, "How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?" To which the Lord answers, first reciting the calamities that fall on the earth, and then ending with the simple truth, "wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?"
While there seems, perhaps, to be more pathos than promise in the expression, it is important for us to remember that God weeps with us in all our hardships, that he walks with us, even when our journey seems uncertain, and that he cares for us, even if we, myopic of vision and hard of heart, have difficulty feeling or believing it. We have his promise that, ultimately, our way leads home to him, if only our hearts and minds remain fixed on his path.
Today's thought: Trust God. If you cannot hear him speaking, it might just be because he is weeping over you, or over someone you love.