The ancient rabbis felt that way too. They wrestled with the idea of a God who seemed distant, even asleep, in the face of suffering.
This struggle echoes powerfully in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms. Specifically, Midrash Tehillim 59 grapples with the verse from Psalm 44:24: "Rouse Yourself! Why do You sleep, O Lord?"
It's a raw question, isn't it? Almost audacious. Imagine standing before the Divine and asking, "Hey, are you even paying attention?!"
The Midrash doesn't shy away from this boldness. It acknowledges that in this world, the here and now, it can appear as though the Holy One, blessed be He, is asleep. Why else, the rabbis ask, does justice not prevail? Why isn't Israel redeemed?
It's a question that cuts to the heart of faith. If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there so much pain? Why so much unfairness?
The answer, or at least a glimpse of one, lies in the future. Midrash Tehillim suggests that there will come a time, "when the end comes," when God will awaken. Not literally, of course. This awakening signifies a time of ultimate reckoning, a time when divine justice will finally be fully manifest. As the verse says, "Awaken to punish all the nations; do not spare all the treacherous transgressors."
Now, that last part can be a little unsettling. It's not exactly a message of universal love and forgiveness. But remember, the rabbis were writing from a place of deep historical trauma. They had witnessed immense suffering and persecution. Their plea for justice, even retributive justice, stems from that pain.
What's truly interesting is the underlying idea of a God who is both present and somehow… not fully present. A God who allows injustice to exist, at least for a time, but who ultimately promises to set things right.
It’s a complex idea, one that demands we hold two seemingly contradictory truths in our minds: the reality of suffering in the present and the hope for justice in the future. It asks us to believe that even when it feels like God is asleep, He will eventually awaken to punish all the nations.
So, the next time you feel that sense of frustration, that feeling that the world is out of joint, remember Psalm 44:24. Remember the rabbis of Midrash Tehillim. Ask the question. "Rouse Yourself! Why do You sleep, O Lord?"
And then, perhaps, listen for the answer.