Let God In

You can only find God in yourself

History is filled with examples where Jewish people pray towards Jerusalem.

Psalm 137- By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.

Jews did return and then were expelled once more. Once the Temple was destroyed, those arriving in Jerusalem established prayer at what is known today as the Western Wall.

A short time after the Internet became popular a  web camera was set up with a live feed overlooking the Western Wall. This enabled those who could not physically touch the stones at this holy site to be there.

In 1995 Rabbi Joe Black wrote a song that is appropriate to this time of year. This upcoming Saturday will be the holiest day of the Jewish Year. It is called The Day of Atonement. The song begins with words from the closing prayer where the gates are closing.

In the song that can be heard here Joe explains that God is not in a place but rather whenever we let God in.

There’s a hole in the sky growing bigger every day

And it looks like an eye gazing sadly down our way.
Try to ignore it, but it just won’t go away
Tears falling down like the acid rain
 
There’s a hole deep inside of so many here today
Try to ignore it but it just won’t go away
So we fill it up with our moneys and desires
Measuring our worth with what we can acquire
But the only way to patch it is to catch it from within….
Where is God?    Whenever we let God in.

You can’t find God in the classroom

Or a book that you take from a shelf.
You can’t find God on a mountain top, 
You can only find God in yourself.
There’s nowhere to look and no place to find
If your final destination is your peace of mind.
It’s not a matter of place, it’s time – 
You’ve got to change the “where” to “when.”
Where is God?  Whenever we let God in.

 

These days one can find numerous apps to connect us to a specific religion. But as Joe Black writes, sings and teaches, its about finding a way to make a personal connection and catch it from within.

With all the wonders of effective technology tools we must find ways to unplug and recharge.

Below you will find a recent interview with Joe and a great acoustic version of this song.