nobody was to be actually watching God or living thinking about god. Everyone believed that life was as it should be, and God was on their side.
Janies second husband Joe, set himself up as the “god” of the town. The other people of the town treated him as a person to admire and stay on the right side of, even when they were jealous of his success and position in the town. Only Janie questions him.
God could also be people's self interest. That seemed to also be something people kept an eye on. Joe's god was social standing and the respect and awe of his fellow townspeople. Janie's god was her freedom. Everyone else's god was feeling themselves to be better than others among their acquaintances.
When Janie moved to the Everglades and encountered Mrs Turner, her “god” was being white. This is a more subtle theme elsewhere in the book, but Mrs Tuner's worship amplifies it - the notion that black people should be aiming to be white in order to feel respected.
When the hurricane comes to the Everglades, those who didn't leave in time finally realise that there is no point in looking to white people or each other for the answers, they can only hope in God.
The quote when the hurricane occurred "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" they finally realized that nothing they could do would match the power of what God could do.
