Is God Watching Just Watching, Or Is He Working? (The Gospel According To Bette Midler)

What in the world is God doing? Is He absent? Is He just "watching us from a distance" as the song says? Several years ago, Bette Midler made the song famous, though it could never be correct...

From a distance 
The world looks blue and green 
And the snow capped mountains white 
From a distance 
The ocean meets the stream 
And the eagle takes to flight 

From a distance 
There is harmony 
And it echoes through the land 
It's the voice of hope 
It's the voice of peace 
It's the voice of every man 

From a distance 
We all have enough 
And no one is in need 
And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease 
No hungry mouths to feed 
From a Distance 
We are instruments 
Marching in a common band 
Playing songs of hope 
Playing songs of peace 
They are the songs of every man 

God is watching us 
God is watching us 
God is watching us 
From a distance 

From a distance 
You look like my friend 
Even though we are at war 
From a distance 
I just cannot comprehend 
What all this fighting is for 
From a distance 
There is harmony 
And it echoes through the land 
And it's the hope of hopes 
It's the love of loves 
It's the heart of every man  (Julie Gold)

I don't want a God who watches us from a distance... do you? I want a God who is intimately, passionately, lovingly, and righteously involved in my life. I want a God who is for me, and causes me to be His, and for Him. I don't want an observer... I want a personal Savior.

As the world seems to be going up in flames, we may wonder where God is. If He is a loving God, how could He let these things happen? I don't have the complete answer to that, but I do have some base lines for my understanding of who God is and what He is doing. I resonate with the psalmist and king, David when he wrote...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.
There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard.
Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a groom coming from the bridal chamber;
it rejoices like an athlete running a course.
It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat.
The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.
The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous.
They are more desirable than gold— than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey, which comes from the honeycomb.
In addition, Your servant is warned by them; there is great reward in keeping them.
Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule over me.
Then I will be innocent and cleansed from blatant rebellion.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19)

Does that sound like a disconnected fairy God? Or does it sound like a personal God who has seen to all the affairs of the universe and also each wayward son? A God who is awesome enough to plan the universe, and attentive enough to personally perfect His children. That's the God of the Bible. Instead of trying to figure out what God sees from a distance, we should see what He has shown us right where we are. I want the Savior God of King David... not the spectator god of Julie Gold and Bette Midler.

Rest today in the fact that God is not sitting on His throne with a bowl of popcorn watching this whole thing play out. He is rolling up His sleeves and sweating... and bleeding on our behalf so we can not only survive, but thrive in this world. 

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]
 
Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.

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