For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered.
(Ezekiel 34.11-12
NRSV)
With that Tommy left the classroom without saying another word. They did not see each other for some time. Then one day, out of the blue, Tommy walked into Father Powell's office. There was something different about Tommy. He told his former professor that he had a terminal illness and did not have long to live. His once youthful body had already started to deteriorate, but his eyes were bright, and his face was aglow.
"What I really came to see you about," Tommy said, "was what you said to me on the last day of class. When the doctors removed the lump and told me it was malignant, well, I got real serious about locating God...I really began banging bloody fists against the doors of heaven, " he said. But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened.
Tommy went on to tell Father Powell that he never really had a good relationship with his father. Tommy did not want to die, however, without ever expressing his love for his dad. So he went home. "My dad was reading the newspaper," Tommy said. It was awkward but Tommy finally said the words, "Dad, I love you--that's all. I just wanted you to know that." The newspaper fluttered to the floor. "Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before," Tommy said, "he cried, and he hugged me. One day I turned around," Tommy told his former professor, "and God was there. He didn't come to me when I pleaded with him. But the important thing is that he found me."
Sometimes we are blind to God's activity in our midst, but God is there.
Lord Jesus, find me. Amen.