If you want to see God in your life, you have to look for Him. And the more you look for Him, the more you find Him.
It is very easy to look at the events in one's life as being random. Take cancer, for example. Cells mutate in our bodies every day. Fortunately, they are killed by our immune system. On very rare occasion, a cell mutates into one that the immune system does not see as alien. This cell can now go forth and multiply. Innocuous and inane, yet deadly. This simple little cell seeds an illness that kills slowly, painfully and horrifically, but absolutely surely.
So where is God in all of this? Nature takes its course. Some people get lucky, some get unlucky. But God seems to take a back seat.
It's so easy to feel this way about the world. But it's completely incorrect.
Firstly, on a philosophical level, if you believe God to be infinite then He cannot take a back seat. He is the active element of all that exists and all that happens. A cancer cell cannot grow without God willing it to grow.
On a relationship level, God is our father. He loves us as a father loves a child - and more so, because He works in infinites.
No father would randomly and meaninglessly allow his child to suffer.
No loving father, were he able to prevent it, would allow his child to be left to the random happenings of this world. Any loving father who could prevent his child from sickness, accident, pain, would surely do so. The same loving father might actively cause his child pain in order to help him grow. But no father would randomly and meaninglessly allow his child to suffer.
You can believe in no God or you can believe in a pagan god. But if you are a believer in the Jewish God, you must believe that He is intimately involved in all that happens in our lives. And if what happens is cancer, then not only does He know about it, He makes it happen.
Why He makes bad things happen is the point of a different discussion that I hope to deal with in a future article. But the starting point is seeing and feeling God's direct involvement in your life. The more you see and feel Him on a day to day basis, the more you will be able to see and feel Him in times of challenge.
I want to give one simple exercise that my wife and I would do with our children and guests on Friday night. It will change your life if you do it. We call it ‘hashgacha stories’ – stories of Divine providence.
The more you look for God, the more you find Him.
Everyone at the table relates a story that happened to them during the week in which they saw God's hand in their lives. It could be that you needed money for a meter and found it on the floor. Or that you needed a parking space and someone pulled out just as you went past. Or you were about to call someone when they called you. Small things that you could easily mistake as being random, but when you think about them you realise they are anything but random.
My 4-year-old son told one of my favourite stories. He recounted how he was opening a bottle of soda and it all spurted out. It was Divine providence that it didn’t go on him; it went on his sister instead!
My family has done this for 3 years now and I can testify to its power. We have learned to see God in all that happens. We are actively looking out for stories all week that we can share with each other on Shabbat. It is a simple exercise that takes only 10 minutes a week, but it will become a part of your whole week. It's fun as well. Why not try it out? It's only a start, but the more you look for God, the more you find Him.
(24) Hiona-Hanna Tsavdari, November 28, 2013 1:44 PM
The Miracle of connecting to Gd.
What an excellent article! I really enjoyed reading it. Indeed G-d wants us to find Him. Speaking from experience I know that things just don't happen by chance. They happen for a reason and they all relate back to G-d., and do you know Why? Because He really and trully wants us to find Him.
He tells us in Devarim/Deuteronomy 4:29-31 that we will surely find Him if we search for Him with all our heart and soul.
Believe that it can really happen!
(23) james, February 27, 2011 9:00 PM
The jews are still here, that should say it all
The entire existence of the jewish people and the fact we are here today able to have a conversation is enough for me to see the imminent, active and miraculous role that hashem takes in our lives. We have been persecuted throughout history and even in modern times, try to see that hashem is protecting us and giving us challenges even if we don't realise it. Great article.
(22) Robert, November 2, 2008 7:18 PM
No matter what happens to us, it's God' will....? rather convenient
What all total believers always communicate is.... no matter what happens it's God's will and therefore divine. Good-bad, and everything in between, it's good and therefore predestine divinely. I wrestle with this daily, and no matter how it is scrutinized over by the scholars and the believers, it always comes up the same..."God's Will". Yes, I suppose, although it would be nice if I had such latitude with my own destiny and that of the universe. I am always looking, hoping I suppose, and the more I listen and read of the learned in this field, the more uneasy I get. (You) et.al say and write so much, but communicate so little, other than the dogma that has been going around ever so long. I am sorry to say, that it totally leaves me cold, and all the more alone.
(21) MARTIN, January 8, 2005 12:00 AM
God is eternal invisable energy field You have the free will to connect to god or not
How do you connect to God? Thought The seven faces of intention: 1.CREATIVITY 2.KINDNESS 3.LOVING 4.BEAUTY 5.EXPANSION 6.ABUNDANCE 7.RECEPTIVITY THESE FACES ARE ENERGY'S god does not DETERMINE VERY OUT COME. USE SOME LOGIC "martin." Read the book: THE POWER OF INTENTION by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
(20) Casriel Accardi, January 6, 2003 12:00 AM
Rav Rosenblatt
I was very moved by the experiences of Rav Rosenblatt and his late wife Elana. I am involved in a chesed organization that is dedicated to educating (especially) the charedi community in Israel about early detection of breast cancer and breast cancer support. I would love to speak with Rav Rosenblatt about our program, as he certainly has a phenomenal hashkafah on this critical issue.
Thank you for printing the Rosenblatt's powerful writings regarding their experience with breast cancer.
(19) hermosa farca, January 7, 2002 12:00 AM
cool but crazy
the idea is a good one though. i mean, when all of those "random" things happen, they must be for a reason. but if you cant find a reasonable reason for the things that happen, then g-d should. But they sooooo make no sense ! How can G-d know what is right for us, if what we want is what WE want, not what G-d wants for us. if he want to kill us with cancer, and bad stuff happening to good people, then it all must be a lie since G-d is supposed to be just with all people. if those "random" things happen to us, like getting a parking space, etc., then its like g-d is sculpting the trayectory and the path of our lives, in our lives... you see what i mean?
and then, where is the freedom to choose what we want in our lives, if He gets the final word in the end, and not us?
(18) tiran rabin, December 26, 2001 12:00 AM
Thank You very nice very real :)
Thank You very nice very real :)
(17) Chana Rudnick, December 23, 2001 12:00 AM
Ecellent!
Looking forward to the one on the Why's of bad things.
(16) Anonymous, December 20, 2001 12:00 AM
Couldn't come at a better time
I have a very rare deadly disease right now. I really should be dead from it by now, but the Lord had chosen to keep me alive way beyond what the Doctors have said. I have had trouble with this in association to God. I know that He is in all things, but it is hard when you have to deal with something like this alone, without anyone who knows the Lord to be able to help you see the Lord's hand at work even in such circumstances. I know the Lord is with me or I would not be alive today. I do not know why He chose to give me this terrible disease or why He has let me live so long with it. I do know that I was hopeless for a time, but that He has brought me again. I know that all things are possible with Him, & if He can keep me alive this long, then He can also heal me so that I can share & live a normal life again. I tell you though, I sometimes think it would it have been better if I had died this yr instead of having to put up the disease, as horrible as it is, but God has a plan in this also. With His help, I can do a few things, so therefore, I can still touch others & tell others about Him on the days I am able to meet with people. I do not know why I am still alive, I just know that God will & is somehow using it for His witness, going beyond medical experiance in keeping me alive & really showing others that He is indeed in charge of my health, not the doctors. Who knows what good shall come from Him just keeping me alive beyond the point of hope.
(15) karen Johnson, December 19, 2001 12:00 AM
My mom is sick and my brother?
Hi My mom is sick and so is my brother
she has perkinson, he is a disabled vet.
i have to take care of both of them.
i just give up a good job.But i know G-d
will help because i need lot,s of it.
(14) Joanne Millstone, December 19, 2001 12:00 AM
A Spiritual Journey
I actually have cancer, so I feel that this article has special relevance to me. It is so very strange - on one hand, it is a tragedy to hear that you have a disease like cancer and in my case, told that you have maybe six months to live. On the other hand, that was 4 and a half years ago and I am still here. I have only experienced remission once, back in '97, and only for 6 months. Since then, I have been constantly treated. Yet, I would have to say that my getting cancer was one of the best things that ever happened to me, spiritually speaking. I know that sounds strange, but I have evolved in ways that I don't think I ever could have if I were to have perfect health.
I agree with the anonymous poster who said that believing in a G-d and an anti-G-d (Devil or Satan) is idol worship - G-d either is or is not and if G-d is, then all things come from G-d. Yet I do not believe in a punishing G-d, a G-d that wants evil for me. So what then?
The cancer within me could have been caused by man somehow or not, I don't know. But I believe that "this too is for the best." I believe that G.O.D. stands for Good Orderly Direction, not chaos, not random evil (even if God is not a Jewish word, it still fits).
I am not wise enough to know all the ways that this cancer is part of the Good Orderly Direction that I believe in, but I believe it is there. Maybe because of me, someone else will learn compassion, maybe I will. Maybe I will learn that pain is a joke with a punchline that we really don't need to suffer (pain is part of life but suffering is optional). I do know that I have outlived medical predictions, so obviously G-d has plans for me, even if I don't know what they are.
Sorry for going on so much. Thank you for your patience.
(13) beth g, December 18, 2001 12:00 AM
Thankyou
How you inspire and uplift the soul. Wishing you peace, nachama, light, ahava, and more sweet blessings.
(12) Anonymous, December 18, 2001 12:00 AM
After reading Kaylindo01 comments to day i thought
isnt it true that if enough people pray for someone that the destiny can be changed? So lets all pray real hard for Hashem to change the destiny of Janice and she should live.If its not to be then at least our prayers will help her to find peace and acceptance.
(11) Anonymous, December 18, 2001 12:00 AM
G-d's daily miracles!
G-d gets involved in people's lives daily, sometimes in big things in our life like disease and death, and at other times in the little things too. G-d controls everything daily. I have had experiences that have taught me so. For example, a few years ago, while living in Arizona, a good friend's birthday was approaching and I was low on funds due to illness, but I really wanted to cheer him up. So I went to the Judaica store and bought a mezuza for his front door. After I left the store, and on my way to another place, while going up the steps, I looked down and there it was. There was a %50.00 bill laying there. I did not react. Suddenly 2 men came down the steps on their way out and looked down at where the bill was, but did not seem to see it. I hesitated. I thought that perhaps the person who had lost it would be coming up the steps to get it. But then, 1 more person came down the steps and it was like he did not see anything. I bent down and picked it up and realized that it was the exact value of the gift that I had bought. And then I said to myself: G-d knows my situation. It looks like no one else but me saw it. Therefore, I had no other choice but to accept that G-d gets involved in people's lives. I was trying to cheer a friend and G-d saw it that I would be provided for, even though I had just spent my last fifty dollars on a gift for a friend, a gift that would help him perform a mitzvah and bring him joy.
At another time, I went to the hospital to visit a friend who was ill and when I came home, I prayed. I asked G-d to help my friend, and I asked him specifically to restore his health on the affected part of his body. Then I went to sleep. The next day, I went to the hospital and my friend was feeling much better even though he was still receiving the same medication that had not worked for a few days.
It is important to find G-d's hand in everything that happens in our life. Even in disease and death. Only he knows why we are to go through the experience. He knows there will be growth from each and one of the experiences of our life.
Thank you.
(10) Anonymous, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
Food for the soul
What a wonderful idea to look for those little things in life where we can readily believe that G-d is involved. Sharing them with others can make it that much more special.
(9) Eva Bronstein, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
This is my miracle article today
Janice, my daughters best friend from school, and whom I have known from before her birth, is dying of cancer in Eretz Israel right now. She is only 38 years of age, and has three young children. Your article has helped me accept G-ds decision for her destiny. Please pray for her so that she can find peace and acceptance in her sad destiny. Thank you, Eva Bronstein
(8) Anonymous, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
I got ridiculed
After reading Small Miracles I suggested to my family that we bring such examples from our lives to the Shabbat table and my grown children and my husband said they werent interested in such nonsense. That trying to find G-d's hand in every ordinary coincidence is an childish way to relate to
religion and borders on fantasizing.
(7) Anonymous, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
He is in our lives.
I love your article. I see God in my life all the time. Most recently when I needed money. I opened the mail and there were two $50 checks from mail in rebates that I had fogotten about. They came at the most opportune time. God is in my life all of the time. When I'm down and out He is there for me. What I don't understand is why me? Who am I? A little no one in all of the universes. I don't understand, why me? Every since I can begin to remember I have noticed that God has played a very active roll in my life.
(6) Dale Sherwood, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
Evident that when we stay close to God, our Father, we see Him in all things . . . even in the most minute portion of our days and lives.
Personally, I begin the day with reading the Scriptures and praying. It has been said that "seven days without prayer makes one WEAK" and this has been proven throughout my life. God, in His Shekinah Glory, has entered my life in so many ways that He often answers my prayers before I ask. The prayers that He does not answer positively are really answers to prayer too because God has seen that what I was praying for would not be good for me. I, too, see God in every avenue of my life and when I don't see Him or feel Him, it is because I have neglected God and have rushed through the day without giving Him more of my time. Actually, my "time" should always be "His Time".
Thank you, Rabbi Aish, for your newsletter. It means so much to me. My husband and I totally fell in love with Israel on our very first visit. We are Christians but it was only when we visited Israel that God opened our hearts to God's Chosen People and the love we feel in our hearts for our Jewish friends has multiplied countless times. We pray every day for the peace of Jerusalem and that our Father in Heaven will strengthen His people as they face terror and tragedy among their people now.
Much Shalom
Dale Sherwood
(5) morton lifson, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
is it a chess game ?
my understanding is that the cancer is not a punishment and might be a challenge. what happens if one intakes all types of foods and supplements to prevent cancer and constantly tests for its presence to nip it in the bud ??? does HASHEM then give you something that you were not preparing for such as a bad fall???
(4) ben, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
absurd
I Think it's absolutely absurd to say that God wants cancer to happen. why would any holy entity want suffering! it this our reward for piety...if so I could do without it
(3) Deacon Moran McMahon, December 17, 2001 12:00 AM
If one develops cancer, yes, God is with that person but I don't believe He makes it happen. He allows it to happen but God does not will anyone to be sick.
That is what I truly believe.
(2) Anonymous, December 16, 2001 12:00 AM
Thank You for a wonderful idea. May Hashem continue to give you strength at such a difficult time in your life. May you always find a special Hashkocho in all your life,
(1) Anonymous, December 16, 2001 12:00 AM
The Good as Well as the Bad
I came to Orthodox Judaism when I was age 40. 1 of the most profound things that I learned in shul is that Torah states that DUALISM is avoda zara, idol worship.
How many people, Gentiles and Jews alike, can't (or won't) comprehend that G-d is ALSO behind all EVIL. There is no "Satan" devil god opposing Him. This revelation has helped me to see G-d in places that I wouldn't have expected Him to be.