Experiencing God's Presence in the Barrenness of Life

 

by Ronvan C. Catucod

Text: Genesis 18:1-15

Let us pray. I know O God that it is impossible for a human tongue to speak Your words, so I ask you O God to guide me with Your Holy Spirit and give me the courage to speak the message you wanted us to hear this morning. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Good morning DS koinonia! The month of February is still in a season of epiphany. According to our Church Calendar Planner “In this season, we affirm and celebrate the moments in our faith and life wherein we experience God’s presence and being able to submit ourselves to a higher power. Most importantly we also renew our commitment to the task of being witnesses not only to God’s manifestation but also of God’s love, mercy, and peace.” However, how can we really experience God’s presence when life seems to be barren? Two years had passed but the COVID 19 pandemic still never leaves us. It continues to linger and bring hard times to us. Then here comes typhoon Odette adding an extra flavor of difficulties to most of us residing in parts of Mindanao and of the Visayas. Some of us here are direct victims of typhoon Odette. Those who are residing in Dinagat, Surigao, Leyte, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Palawan. Some of these areas still do not have a stable supply of water, electricity, and some basic needs. And just recently, there were about 700 families who lost their homes in a fire that destroyed 200 houses in Cavite City on Saturday afternoon February 12, 2022. In addition to these are our personal struggles that seem to be no way out, that seem to be hopeless. So how can we experience God’s presence in these barren situations? 

And so this morning the message is about or entitled “Experiencing the Presence of God in the Barrenness of Life” based on Genesis 18:1-15. This text might not be used during the season of epiphany because it does not talk about the manifestation of God or the appearance of God in a human form or Christ Jesus. But it is very related because it talks about God’s divine appearance to humanity or we called it Theophany. It talks about YHWH’s or Lord’s appearance in the very eyes of Abraham and of Abraham and Sarah’s experience of the presence of God amid the desperate situation that they encountered. 

God did appear in the barrenness of life or a desperate situation. As we, all know Abraham and Sarah remain childless in old age despite God’s promise that they will be having a son and Abraham’s offspring will be numerous as that of stars in the sky. In addition, Sarah was a barren woman. Jeremy Hall said, and I quote "Among the chosen people barrenness was considered a curse, a cause for disdain, and often of rejection. So often, the prophets extended the meaning of barrenness, to the land, to the leadership of the people, and the people themselves." Barrenness images the situation of Abraham and Sarah for remaining childless despite the promise that they will have a son. Barrenness applies in the lives of each of us. It images our struggles and the hopeless and desperate situations in our lives. Other than the COVID 19 pandemic, typhoon Odette, and other calamities to some of us ministerial students there are these problems in tuition fees and other school fees, signal problems during online classes that add to the barrenness of our lives. So let me take this opportunity to give thanks to God and the Divinity School for the scholarships granted and for those individuals that support us in our studies. When you are already a minister or a pastor, you have the hectic and conflicting church schedules, midnight phone calls, division, bickering, and ill feelings of members that add to the barrenness of your life. Moreover, perhaps many of us or most of us go through times that seem to be barren – when prayer seems to be unanswered or unheard, when faith and hope seem to be drained because of different storms in life, and when God seems to be absent in all the hardships in life. However, God is never absent. Abraham and Sarah experienced the appearance and presence of God or Theophany amid despair. God will also never leave us nor forsake us. We do not need to look for God here and there. YHWH is at the door of our lives, standing and lingering, waiting for us to invite Him in. So how can we experience the presence of God in the barrenness of life?

First, continuously ask and invite God to stay in our lives. God always takes the initiative to reveal Himself to us but our response to God’s initiating act is also important. To invite God to stay in our lives is a response for revealing Himself to us. Abraham and Sarah did not experience the presence of God just because YHWH appeared to them but also because Abraham invited YHWH to stay. In verse 3 Abraham said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, do not pass your servant by.” This is Abraham’s invitation or requests to YHWH to stay. This also implies that there might be instances in our lives that God already appeared but only passes by because we do not invite Him.  In the New Testament God appears through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the image or the manifestation of the invisible God. He appears in front of many people but only those who believed and invited Him in their lives truly experience the Lord’s epiphany. If we are familiar with the story on the road to Emmaus, it talks about the encounter of the two disciples with the resurrected Jesus. “As they approached the village they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them” (Luke 24:28-29). They invited Jesus to stay that is why he stay. In the same manner, let us invite God so that we may experience His presence. In the barrenness of life, God seems to be distant but he is always near waiting for us to invite Him to experience His presence. The ministry is sometimes filled with headaches and heartaches and so few abandoned the ministry burnout and weary. Times like these are also times to once again invite God to stay and give us the strength to continue and to renew our commitment to serve Him faithfully. Admittedly, from the time I enter the Divinity School, twice ko nakahunahuna nga muondang ug skwela. However, as I ran to the Lord asking and seeking His presence in the middle of despair, God provided me a way out. I invited Him in and renewed my commitment. This also reminds me of a hymn written by Fanny Crosby entitled “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior.” Let me read a line and it says, “Pass me not, O gentle Savior, hear my humble cry; while on earth on others you are calling, do not pass me by.” May God never pass us by. So let us ask and invite God to stay in our lives, especially in times of barrenness like how we always invoke His presence in our worship services.  This will lead us to the second point.

           Continue to worship and honor God despite barrenness in life. Again, God always took the initiative to reveal himself to us, and of course, worship is our proper response to God’s revelation. Interestingly, Abraham and Sarah never stop honoring God though it seems God had forgotten His promise to them. When YHWH appeared to Abraham, and he saw the angels, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. Then he invited them to stay in his place, entertaining them, showing them hospitality by offering them food and others with Sarah helping him to prepare food. The bowing and the hospitality showed implies worship and honor to God’s appearance and presence or Theophany. In other words, Abraham and Sarah never tend to forget to worship and honor God despite the hopeless situation. This reminds us that worship is not for us but for God. “The only audience in worship is God. He is the one we are gathered to honor, praise, and exalt” (Douglas Connelly, The Promise of Heaven).  

            I know it is hard to worship and honor God when we are in a barren situation but there are some people already did. When Jehoshaphat and his people were in a hopeless situation because of the vast enemy that surrounded them, they chose to come before God and worshipped YHWH. Sabi pa ng kanta ni Butch Charvet patungkol dito. “Sila ay nag-ayuno at sabay na nagpupuri lahat ay sama-sama pati na ang hari.” Same also with Paul and Silas during barren situation they chose to worship God praying and singing hymn to God in jail. They continue to worship and honor God even in barrenness and therefore they experience the presence of God.

Recently, a friend of mine died because of a lack of potassium – a kind of disease she had as she grow up. But before she died, when brought to the hospital she was also tested positive for COVID. According to her mother and sister who was with her in the hospital during her deathbed, she told her mother and sister that “sinusundo na siya sa Ginoo” or “the Lord came to get her.” For us, this is only a piece of story but for the family, this is an assurance that the Lord’s presence was there even in despair, even in the death of their loved one. It is painful, but they chose to thank God and honored God despite what had happened. They never forget to honor and worship God even in barrenness in their lives.       

At the height of the pandemic, worship services in all churches were not allowed. Even until now, some of our churches are still in limited face-to-face worship services. Others, worship online like what we are doing right now in this Wednesday chapel service. Yes, we should not stop worshipping and honoring God’s presence even during the pandemic and other barren situations. Worshipping and honoring God’s presence is not limited to a temple or church worship but also includes our service to others like how Abraham and Sarah showed hospitality to the Lord and the angels. As Pastors and Pastors to be we may not be able to extend a certain amount of financial and material help to those who are in need but we can help spiritually through pastoral care and counseling. During our CPE program, I discover how the humble and simple ways of pastoral care can help those people who are in grief, depression, despair, and hopelessness. In other words, pastoral care can be helpful to those who are in barrenness in life. In fact, Henri Nouwen describes spiritual caregivers as wounded healers. Despite our own woundedness, we can be an instrument of healing to others. Thus, let us not stop worshipping and honoring God despite the barrenness but continue to honor God in words and deeds, hoping that the newness will come.

Third, be hopeful that the newness will come amid barrenness. The new possibility is always on the horizon, we have to wait faithfully and expectantly remembering that nothing is impossible with God.

Another interesting scenario in our text is that one of the angels pronounce that Sarah will bear a son same time next year but hearing this Sarah laugh. She laughs because of unbelief that in the old age and barrenness she and Abraham will still have a son. Then the angel asked, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” A very interesting question for us to ponder also. A question that continues to linger throughout time. For Abraham and Sarah, it is impossible for them to have a son in old age. In fact, both of them laugh because of unbelief when they hear this announcement. First, it was Abraham in Genesis 17:17, and now in our text, it was Sarah, who laugh because of unbelief.

Yes, the barrenness images the pandemic, the typhoon Odette, other calamities, and the hopeless and desperate situation we encounter in life. But the promise of birthing despite barrenness describes hope amid hopeless and desperate situations. Like Abraham and Sarah amid barrenness sometimes we doubt God. We doubt His power; we doubt His goodness; we doubt His love. However, may the promise of birthing reminds us that God can bring newness out of desperate situations. The announcement that Sarah will have a child is a declaration that YHWH will enact newness and hope in the context of loss, grief, and despair. 

For 400 years of slavery, Israel was delivered from Egypt and reached the Promised land, Canaan. And then for 70 years, Israel was in exile; then God rescued them, and they returned to their land. Out of barrenness, Sarah gave birth to her child – Isaac. YHWH brings or will bring novum and hope against all circumstances, even when we judge that to be impossible like Abraham, Sarah, and the Israelites. However, before the newness was granted, let us never forget that there is a period of advent. Between barrenness and birth or between despair and hope is a period of waiting. 

In this time, where everything seems to be instant, we do not have the patience to wait. But isn’t it true that we wait best with sustained hope and desire, for what touches life most deeply: new life, birth, restoration to health, and transformation of life. We are in a period of waiting that God will bring novum out of the difficult situations we encounter. In the time of loss, grief, and despair brought by the pandemic, typhoon Odette, and other calamities, it involves a time of expectant waiting, hoping that the newness will come amid these difficult situations.  

Is anything too hard for the Lord? Of course, none. “For with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). YHWH can turn the impossible into reality. God can enact novum out of barrenness in life. In God’s time, YWHH will enact newness or novum out of despair brought by the pandemic, by typhoon Odette, and by the fire in Cavite. At the appointed time we will recover from these devastating situations. We the DS koinonia will surely enjoy again having a fellowship, classes, and other activities not just in an online platform but in face-to-face settings. At the appointed time, the Lord will enact novum out of barrenness in our lives.

God always takes the initiative to reveal himself to us but we can surely experience God’s presence in the barrenness of life when we ask and invite God to stay in our lives. Another is when we continue to worship God and honor His’s presence despite the barrenness. Most of all, when we remain or continue to be hopeful amid desperate and hopeless situations.  

The invisible God had already appeared and his presence was and is already experienced by many people especially by the coming of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the presence of God continues and never fades. Now, it is our response that matters. Amen!