What Is God Doing?

What is God doing? What is God doing in your life today? What is God doing when you have to wait to experience God? What is God doing when you have to wait for prayers to be answered? Could God be making certain that you have nothing more important in your life than God?

God has a history of causing people to wait before something will happen. Consider the question; why did God wait forty-nine days after pulling the Hebrews out of Egyptian bondage before giving them Torah?

In the days following the event when God parted the Red Sea allowing the Hebrews to escape the Egyptian army; the Hebrew children of God were behaving like a town whose team had won the Super Bowl.

Had God given the Ten Words immediately as the emotions of the escape began to ease, so would the passion for being obedient to God’s Word. Since God desires sincere and decided love; God waited before extending His Torah to the Jewish people.

The Jewish communities are now celebrating a two day holiday called Shavuot. Last night and again tonight around the world classes were held all during the night to help the Jewish people to recall the Ten Words of God and the six hundred and thirteen mitzvoth (commandments) that binds their obedient worship of God. By conducting night long study they seek to have the same feeling of unity their ancestors had experiencing that moment of knowing the strong loving presence of God.

Shavuot is a period of remembrance. Among the foods eaten by observing Jews will be dairy products and sweet pastries. This is to signify the difference separating this holy day celebration from others.

Another Jewish holy festival currently being celebrated is Pentecost. Pentecost is a first fruits grain festival that follows Passover by 49 days. It was for the purpose of honoring Pentecost that Jerusalem was so packed with out of town Jews when the disciples experienced the Pentecost we honor today.

Sometimes it happens that Shavuot, Pentecost falls on Memorial Day. This is not a conflict; instead consider it to be a greater calling to remember what God has done. We take time to pause and remember. We remember what God has done pouring out His Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ. We remember the lives of those who have died serving the causes of freedom, liberty and service for our nation.

Jesus called the Spirit one who brings comfort and strength. Through the Spirit we know the truth about God’s presence in our lifetime. Additionally through the spirit we know God’s desire for his people to know peace and love.

What is God doing? What is God doing in your life today and in the life of the Jews who followed Jesus? What is God doing?

What is God doing when God’s Son Jesus is seeing the sorrow in the hearts of his disciples? (John 16:5–6) 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. The news that Jesus is leaving them has them speechless. Why, these followers did not even ask where he was going or why they could not tag along as they had during the public ministry of Jesus. It is hard to understand how things could get better. After all with the presence of Jesus, the blind see the deaf hear, paralytics can walk and lepers are cleansed and demons are cast out. Jesus has fed a crowd of five thousand with five loafs and two fishes. By his command the dead have come back into life.

John 16:7–11 (ESV) 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Jesus continues to speak instructions to them. What is this teaching by his saying the spirit would come to convict the world about sin and righteous and judgment. What is God doing? One of the things God is doing with Jesus leaving these Jewish disciples; is to bring them on another day back to remembrance.

John 16:12–15 (ESV)

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.