Is God really involved in our daily activities?

[DaveInCSA]

First of I am not Orthodox. I'm posting here because I don't have anyone I can ask this question of.

Three years ago I was reading about Orthodoxy and ended up becoming an Anglican. It was a happy middle for my wife. Prior to that we were bounced between charismatic and evangelical churches. I shouldn't say bounced though. I was once a pastor and my wife and I lead worship so we have worked with a number of church plants. But I have read a lot of Orthodoxy and would love to be in the church. I have two Lossky books on my nightstand currently that I am slugging my way through.

God seems so absent from my daily life. I consider myself a prayer book Anglican. I do the Morning Prayer and Compline almost everyday. I enjoy that. I feel near to God when I do it. Problem is that I'm 46 and life hasn't always been fun. And frankly it sure would have been nice during prayer this morning to hear a still small voice say 'Hey you might want to check to see if you paid your water bill so your wife doesn't come home to no water!!' That might sound trite but if I am in a relationship with God and I spend time with him. Is it not too much to ask for some help down here and actually get it.

Is my expectation just modern day Protestant nihilistic deception? We sing songs about God's nearness. "He holds me close". No he doesn't. It just appears that my life is the sum of decisions that I have made, good or bad. That God is really not involved and I'm just wondering if this is reality and I'm hitting the reality of bad teachings on faith and life in God. I've pretty much come to expect nothing good from God's hand but should I be expecting anything at all??

[alanscott]

We sing songs about God's nearness. "He holds me close". No he doesn't. It just appears that my life is the sum of decisions that I have made, good or bad. That God is really not involved and I'm just wondering if this is reality and I'm hitting the reality of bad teachings on faith and life in God. I've pretty much come to expect nothing good from God's hand but should I be expecting anything at all??

Hello Dave,

I am not Orthodox either (though I hold a profound respect and reverence) nor do I feel qualified to truly address your questions. I certainly do understand them though.

"It just appears that my life is the sum of decisions that I have made, good or bad."

Well, yea, as I understand it God forgives but the world we live in may not be so kind. Justification does not necessarily mean we don't still have to face the consequences of our actions. We typically do. There are many that insist that if we are not close to God there is something in our life standing between us. Theology to my limited understanding supports that. You have mentioned a couple of things that may suggest some innaccurate teachings. I don't really know of course what you have learned or been taught but I am finding out there are a lot of misconceptions of Christianity out there. No worries there is plenty of Truth and many that have paved the way before us.

If I may also suggest that while I have no issues with official prayers perhaps some time (if you do not already) spent simply asking God to reveal Himself beyond the contamination of man might be prudent. Time spent reciting from a prayer book is a great thing. Perhaps time spent asking for His presence and then just sitting in silence and stillness is what would benefit you as well.

I am including this link as it benefited me once. It is the first part to an awesome sermon series you may benefit from listening to. It addresses some fundamental Christian beliefs and includes a bit about God in our daily lives.

http://orthodoxsermons.org/sermons/back-basics-part-1-0

I pray for you the Peace, Presence and Grace of our Lord Christ Jesus!

[LizaSymonenko]

Ohhhh....but, He IS present....every second of your day.

To a certain degree we find ourselves in a situation of our own making...but, that's because we have freewill.....and often that freedom leads us astray.

No matter the situation you are in, He's there beside you....all the time.

I think our problem is that we wish for a "personal" relationship with Christ.  We wait for the "warm and fuzzies"...and when we don't experience them we feel God has alienated Himself from us, etc. 

We aren't instructed to nurture a personal relationship with Him.  It is through the Church and the Holy Sacraments that we draw near.

Nobody is made to be alone or to try to find God, on their own.

Even monks, or dessert dwellers, still had abbots, brother monks, etc. to answer to.

I believe the closer you come to the Church, get embraced by the Church, the closer you will find yourself to God.

May God bless you and aid you on your journey Home.

[WPM]

Is God really involved in our daily activities?

I don't know .. Could be looking from Heaven like a Divine Seer.

[Basil 320]

Keep in mind I am not a priest neither am I educated theologically.

I believe God exists in the Anglican Church, not that it shares in the fullness of the Ancient Faith, and even though in recent years it has adopted vile deviations in practice---like female and homosexual clergy.  I do not understand why you do not feel God's presence, especially because of the prayer life in which you engage.

However, understanding the less complicated dogma of the Unchanged Ancient Faith of Orthodoxy, life in the Orthodox Church is brought more immediate to one, in my opinion, living daily the Church Calendar, participating in its Divine Services, including the richness of the hymnology of Orthros (Matins) and Vespers, the sacramental life, and living the church's practices and spiritual exercises, not that I've attained to a level of spirituality I could have, as yet. I always felt the presence of God in my life, probably due to how my parents taught me and my experience in the Church, but when I was age 17 and read some basic orientations to Orthodoxy books, like "The Orthodox Church" by Timothy Ware (now Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia of the Holy Archdiocese of Great Britain), and an explanation of the meaning of the Divine Liturgy by Fr. George Papadeas, both of which also awakening what I had been taught in Sunday Church School too, the depth of my faith imbued a very strong feeling for God in my life---and my life experience has proven God's love for me; I felt what it means to be "born from above" (or "born again"). I don't know how much of a difference Orthodoxy would make to you, especially because I do not know of your personal characteristics.

[leap of faith]

Our every breath that we breathe is sustained by Him, our Creator.  If ever I am feeling "disconnected," I stop, close my eyes in silence and consider each breath, each heart beat.  And I know.  His is sustaining me.  Then I pick up my cross and carry on, consoled by that awareness.

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