Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus

This silence of God we are all too familiar with does not mean that God is unconcerned or uninvolved. In the words of the old Latin axiom: Vocatus atque non vocatus Deus aderit. “Invoked or not invoked – God is present.” Believed in or not believed in; Accepted or unaccepted; Acknowledged or refused; Advocate, agnostic or atheistic; Invited in or locked out; Called upon or ignored – it makes no difference. God is present, and he is at work in us, through us, and yes, sometimes in spite of us.

The great British preacher from generations ago, Charles Hadden Spurgeon, always invited his hearers to trust God even when he seemed so glaringly absent. He would say, “When you can’t trace his hand, trust his heart.” Deep inside our hopeful hearts, people of faith still believe God reigns over his world. When we can’t see him, we still trust him. When we have little confirmation of his actions, we still keep the faith.

We believe he has a heart of compassion and grace. We believe he is more concerned for his world than we are. We believe he still breaks through sowing the seeds of expectation. No matter how dark the world grows, we hold to the spark of hope. May we always do so.