Where is God?

There’s an old story I love about a shark and a whale. Both were swimming in the sea when the shark swam up to the whale to engage in conversation. As they swam along, the shark said to the whale, “You are so much older than I, and wiser too. Could you tell me where the ocean is?” The whale responded, “The ocean is what you are in now.” The shark would not believe it. “Come on, tell me where the ocean is so I may find it!” The whale repeated, “The ocean is here, now; you are in it.” Unbelieving, the shark swam away searching for the ocean.

Picking up on this story, pastor Susan Fleenor wrote, “The moral of the story, I believe, is this: don’t spend too much time looking for God because the Spirit of God is here in the now of your life, dwelling within you, within me, within…community. And that truth is nurtured in prayer.”

God is not missing. But sometimes it feels like it, doesn’t it? Sometimes it feels as though God were a distant concept or idea instead of a Spirit that is alive and within us. In those dry times, I believe Fleenor is right – the truth of God’s presence is nurtured in prayer.

Rabbi Noah benShea once wrote, “Prayer is a path where there is none.”

Let us pray: Almighty God, we pause even if just for a moment to invite your Spirit to fill our lives again. Touch our hearts and draw us deep within your presence. Meet us today in the everyday moments of life and grant us your peace. Amen.