Why Does God Allow Tragedies? (2 of 5)

This is the second part of a five-part series. If you missed the first part, you can read it here.

Background:
The points presented in this series are in response to a friend's questions a few months ago. She asked questions like:
- Why doesn't [God] save more from tragedies?
- Young girls are being raped and murdered. Why won't he save that kinda stuff?
- Why does a sweet, kind God not save children?

I will do my best to address these and answer the question about why God allows tragedies, understanding that I don’t have all the answers myself either. There are many resources in print and online about questions such as these, some of which I'll share at the end of this series.

_____________________________________

Here we go with a few more thoughts about why we have tragedies and why God would allow them.

3. God is not human. We cannot project our minds and ways of thinking onto Him. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. He sees, knows, and understands way more than we can. Like my pastor, Jared Allen, said in a sermon in July 2017, “Our infinite God cannot be fully understood by our finite minds. His power is not limited by what we understand.” We may see the trees. He not only sees the forest, but the whole world – the whole universe! He sees not only how a situation affects us as an individual; He sees how it affects the people around us, the people around them, and so on. He sees how it affects people we don't even know or think about. There is more going on than what we can see and know about life. He can work good in anything, even tragedies!

a.       “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” – Romans 8:28

b.       “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declared the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts,’” – Isaiah 55:8-9

c.       “…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,” – 1 Samuel 16:7

d.       “God is working things out during those very parts of His will we do not want. He is crafting, shaping and planning at a deeper level than we can see. He is looking at a lie that stretches from eternity past to eternity future, while we are looking through a straw at a tiny black pencil dot set on that line of life. He is looking at eons of eternity at once,” (The Part of God’s Will No One Wants).

e.       “I had two options. I could walk by sight and allow what I couldn’t understand to simmer into a rolling boil of anger toward the Lord, or I could choose to walk by faith by reminding myself that God’s ways are higher than my ways, and that he is trustworthy and good, even when I can’t make sense of my circumstances,” (Hope When It Hurts).
f.       “We didn’t like His will and did not want it, but He didn’t ask us about that. He does not have to. He is the Sovereign One. My job is to cling to Him in trust,” (The Part of God’s Will No One Wants).

        4. Sometimes, it’s the tragedies that lead us to God and make our faith stronger. Pain may be a place of preparation.

a.       “Martyrs, widows, orphans, the impoverished, the forgotten, the persecuted and the wounded have all found Christ faithful,” (The Part of God’s Will No One Wants).

b.       “The more closely you walk with Christ in the uncomfortable of the unknown, the greater clarity of life you will experience,” (The Part of God’s Will No One Wants).

c.       “But consider this: only by experiencing pain do we recognize the areas of our life that require healing,” (Problem with Pain).

d.       “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead,” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

e.        “Those parts of His will that we do not want, cause the volume of our faith to get turned up…Not only do we hear God more clearly, but our attentiveness to Him can also cause the ears of others to incline toward words of hope,” (The Part of God’s Will No One Wants).

f.       “I look at the hardships and the trials as part of my training and believe that they make me strong,” Abernathy said. “As you are going through trying times, you don’t always have the answers, so I encourage you to keep going back to God’s Word and keep praying. When you persevere, you come out a much stronger person,” (Anne Abernathy, Olympic luger, quoted in “The Winter Olympics and the Bible,”).

g.       “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything,” – James 1:2-4

h.         “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him,” – James 1:12

        5. There are opportunities for followers of Christ to show the love of Christ to those who are going through tragedies. When people reach out to serve and help those who are suffering, they can show God’s love. They can demonstrate faith, hope, and love. This is not only true for someone from the outside of the tragedy, but for the person(s) within the tragedy – the victim(s). Not only might they be able to demonstrate faith, hope, and love, but they might also be able to demonstrate forgiveness. The offering of forgiveness in such circumstances can be absolutely mind-blowing to others involved in the situation as well as outsiders looking in at it. This can be a powerful message about God to people.

a.       “learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow,” - Isaiah 1:17

b.       “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,” - James 1:27

c.       “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” – Luke 6:27

d.   But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous," - Matthew 5:44-45
e.   "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." - John 13:14-15
f.   "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

See you next week with more thoughts. 

I'd love to know what you are thinking about this topic.

(Please excuse the formatting issues below; I couldn't get the text to move back to the left margin.)

Sources (listed in the order in which they appear in this post):

1. Allen, Jared. "Colossians 1:24-29." First Baptist Church, Round Rock, TX. 2 July 2017 Presented. Sermon.

2. Holy Bible, New International Version. East Brunswick: International Bible Society, 1978. Print. (some quotes also came from the NIV version (not 1978) on biblecc.com)

3. Matte, Gregg. "The Part of God's Will No One Wants," in partnership with El Centro Network, Baker Publishing Group, on YouVersion Bible app, Accessed: January 2018.

4. Wetherell, Kristen, and Sarah Walton. "Hope When It Hurts," The Good Book Company, on YouVersion Bible app, Accessed: January 2018.

5. Haines, Seth. "Problem with Pain," Abide, on YouVersion Bible app, Accessed: January 2018.

6. Abernathy, Anne. As quoted in "The Winter Olympics and the Bible," Museum of the Bible, on YouVersion Bible app, Accessed: February 2018.

Why Does God Allow Tragedies? (1 of 5)

A few months ago, I shared on Facebook the following quotes from an online devotional I was reading:

"God gives us the freedom to make choices. In giving us that freedom, He is not going to keep us from using it however we want to. He will never force us against our wills to go in the directions He wants us to go. God gave us the freedom to choose between right and wrong, and if this world seems deeply troubled, it’s because we humans keep making bad choices."

"Giving us free will was risky on God’s part because we have a tendency to misuse it."

(from The Lies We Believe About God, by Dr. Chris Thurman, read on YouVersion)

I had a friend respond with questions. Here I paraphrase:
- Why doesn't [God] save more from tragedies?
- Young girls are being raped and murdered. Why won't he save that kinda stuff?
- Why does a sweet, kind God not save children?

This friend rightly suggested that these questions are tough for many non-believers. They are difficult for many believers as well. Numerous resources exist, many I have not personally read, although since the questions were asked, I read some of them, prayed, and asked a few other people, too. I will do my best to address these and answer the question about why God allows tragedies, understanding that I don’t have all the answers myself either.

Because I compiled a lot of information and ideas, I am dividing this topic up into five posts. I hope you will be able to read all of them, consider what they say, and find some peace.

Here we go!

1.      1. Everyone has free will to make the choices that they want. Unfortunately, in the cases that we are considering, those choices affect more than just the person making the choice - which is actually true for every decision we make, just to differing levels. People are affected, whether the wrong choice was to lie, steal office supplies, watch pornography, or much more egregious cases of rape, murder, and abuse. The Bible says that the sins of one person affect the children to the third or fourth generation (Numbers 14:18, Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, Deuteronomy 5:9). (Many translations of the Bible actually say that “He punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation,” but we have to remember that we are not reading the original language. It is my belief that there is a translation issue here, because each person will be judged for their own sins and not those of another person (Ezekiel 18: 4, 13, 17-20). I believe that it means that the effects/consequences of the person’s sin can be felt for three or four generations.) There is good news though! The Bible says that those who love the LORD and keep his commandments will benefit their children for a thousand generations (Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10, Deuteronomy 7:9)! That is much more than three or four generations!

2.      2. God is not ignoring sin. He is just and will repay sinners for their actions. It might not be in the time that we think He should do it, nor in the way that we think He should deal with it, but that is not for us to decide. He does promise us, though, that He will deal with sin.

a.       “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to revenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord,” – Romans 12:19

b.       “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.”  - Nahum 1:2-3

c.       “God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonements, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance, he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished,” – Romans 3:25 (Justice will come.)

d.       “…he does not leave the guilty unpunished…” – Exodus 34:7

e.       “…Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…” – Numbers 14:18

f.        “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed,” – Revelation 6:9-11 (This passage is a little difference, since it is dealing with martyrs for the faith, but it still addresses justice for those who persecute others, especially those of the faith.)

g.       “But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction…” – Deuteronomy 7:10

h.       “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you,” – Proverbs 20:22
i.     " Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." - Colossians 3:25
j.         “’No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards, they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God,’” – Ezekiel 28:24-26

Before I move on, I do want to point out some great news: God also forgives sin! We are ALL sinners in need of forgiveness. Romans 3:23 tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The crux of this, however, is repentance. We must recognize our sin and call it what it is – sin. We must be sorrowful over it and ask God to forgive our sin. We must be willing to put forth the effort to change, to turn away from the sin. If, in good faith, we do these things, He will forgive. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives,” – 1 John 1:9

It may be hard to accept, but even rapists and murderers can receive forgiveness from God for their past sins - if they truly repent and turn their lives over to God. Matthew 20:1-16 contains a parable from Jesus that is often referred to when considering people who accept Jesus later in life - even after committing sins all their life - can still receive the reward of eternal life with God. It is for God to decide, not us.

Taming the Tigers

Did you know that Texas has the second largest population of tigers in the world? Plus, it is estimated that there are more tigers in captivity in the United States than there are in the wild! Many of these tigers are being kept in people's backyards as pets.

Image Credit: Nigel Swales via Flickr

     

      Image Credit: www.heroviral.com
    (Facebook/Erin Poole)

                 
                                   




I tend to keep my pet tigers even closer to me. Now, before you get all concerned that I really have pet tigers roaming around my living room, let me clarify that - although one of our real-life cats is named Tiger - I am not talking about real animals here.

I'm talking about temptations. Temptations can prowl around in our lives. They seek to devour that which is good. A couple of my temptation tigers are sugary treats and time lost to technology usage (mostly Facebook and e-mail). Sometimes I'm fooled into thinking that they are just a current, temporary struggle that has popped up. Recently, however, I looked through an old notebook and saw notes about my struggling with these same tigers four years ago! It was discouraging to consider that I am still trying to tame the same tigers! I have not done well with self-control on these two issues.

We don't have to try to tame the tigers on our own. We can enlist a team to help us. Get some accountability with others who will support you and ask you the hard questions that you don't want to answer (i.e., Did you avoid eating sweets today? How long did you spend on Facebook this week?). They need to be tough - tough on you to spur you onward and motivate you, and tough on the temptation tigers, to push them back so they no longer threaten you. If I am completely honest with you, I have avoided accountability because I don't want to be told 'no' when I selfishly decide that I want to eat those sweet treats, or I want to get on Facebook and read "just a few more." Well, maybe this is a very good reason why I have not been successful for over four years!

We also would benefit from the skills of a trainer. A trainer has experience. They have worked with the tigers before and know how to deal with them. I'd like to work with a trainer who has been successful at overcoming the tigers, too. You know that's what Jesus did, right?

Hebrews 4:15 - For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.

Hebrews 2:18 - Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

So, how do you contact your trainer and get him to help you tame your tigers? You need to spend time with him and develop a relationship with him. It's not that he doesn't know you or know how to work with you and your tigers; it's that you need to get on the same page with him and trust him to help you. You need to learn how to follow his lead and go along with his plan, even if it doesn't make sense to you at the time. Talk to him and be honest with him in your prayers. Tell him how you feel about your tigers and how hard you think the taming process will be. Sit still in his presence and let him communicate to you - he is with you and will help you; have peace and trust in him; there is nothing that he cannot handle - nothing is impossible for him. As you develop your relationship with your trainer, you will learn how to tame you tigers and develop the confidence to put the plan into action, even if the plan is revealed to you only one step at a time.

One resource you might consider is Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. I am at the end of a 21-day online devotional on this subject by her and it has made me want to buy the book (or devotional, or Bible study...). The main topic has been about food issues, but it is definitely applicable for other issues.

Even better than just trying to "tame" our temptation tigers would be to cage them up and send them away from us! "You cannot take the wild from a tiger. You can put 'em in your living room, you can put 'em in your bathroom, you can put 'em in your backyard, but a tiger is a tiger is a tiger. They are wild animals, and they could kill you," (Monique Woodard, founder of Exotic Cat Refuge and Wildlife Orphanage).

Our temptations don't just need to be tamed to be kept around and coddled or petted! They need to be cast away from us! There is no way they can turn against us if we have removed them from our lives! Now, I know some temptation tigers cannot be removed and we need to know how to have self-control to resist their dangerous advances.

So, what tigers are you needing to tame? Is it time to talk to the Trainer and listen to what He wants to tell you? Is it time to take that first step - or, like me, take a step again? Maybe your tigers don't need just tamed - maybe they need to be caged and removed completely from your life. Either way, let's get control of some tigers!


Sources:
- Gibson, London. "Tigers are endangered in Asia, but in Texas they're backyard pets." Austin American Statesman. Cox Media Group, 30 April 2018. Web. 03 May 2018. 
- HeroViral Team. "Tiger Cub on a Leash Found Wandering the Streets of Texas." HeroViral. HeroViral/Correlate Pte Ltd, Undated. Web. 04 May 2018.
- Holy Bible, New International Version. East Brunswick: International Bible Society, 1978. Print.
- Macatee, Rebecca. "Why a Pet Tiger is Never, Ever, Ever a Good Idea." Across America Patch. Patch Media, 13 January 2017. Web. 15 May 2018. https://patch.com/new-jersey/bernardsville-bedminster/why-pet-tiger-never-ever-ever-good-idea.
- Wise, Lindsay. "Dangerous exotic animals make home in Texas." Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation, 19 March 2012. Web. 4 May 2018.

The Force with You

I'm not a huge Star Wars fan. Sure, it's okay, but I don't watch it incessantly; I don't know all the details of its creation; I don't quote any of its lines. I see Star Wars as a trend (albeit a longstanding one) and I tend to veer away from trends. If it is the hip and happening thing, I'm not interested. The "it" toy of the year each Christmas? You will not find me hunting it down.

On May 4 ("May the Fourth/Force Be With You" Day), my mind tends in another direction. Here are just the few verses that came to me in the last few minutes. So, as we come to the end of May 4th, my question for you is: Which force is with you?


And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. - Ezekiel 36:27

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. - Deuteronomy 31:8

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

Sweet Failures and Broken I-Love-Yous

This morning, I baked some cookies as a special treat for the seven first- and second-graders in the sign language class I've been leading this school year. They were sugar cookies in the "I love you" hand-shape. They were all looking so good, and I was making plenty so I was excited about getting to share them with others, too. Oh, they were going to be so good!

And then, they weren't.

The cookies stuck to the pans! I was cracking hands and breaking off fingers! Oh, I was so disappointed! These were not fit to be served to my students! The significance of the "I love you" hand-shape was gone!

This was a failure.

I tried really hard to keep a rein on my disappointment - to stay calm and not get teary about three dozen ruined cookies. My son kept telling me how beautiful and delicious they looked. (Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I know they don't look beautiful with fingers falling off.)


I started thinking, because I really wanted to find the positive in the situation. I wanted to see if there was a lesson that could be learned. That's when I started thinking about "sweet failures."

Sweet failures.

Good can come out of our failures. Starting with a basic view, even though many of the cookies were in crumbles, my children would enjoy them. Also, I could share them with some others who would appreciate them regardless of their appearance. Plus, the students weren't expecting me to bring a special treat, so they wouldn't be disappointed. Taking it up a notch, my children can learn how to handle disappointments (if I'm handling them appropriately). How we handle larger, more visible life disappointments (i.e., loss of a job or relationship) can show others outside our immediate family how disappointment can be handled, too.

Our failures can be sweet if we look for what God is doing and what He can do in them, through them, in spite of them. They can be sweet if we open ourselves up and allow Him to do His work. It's still not always easy, but there can be a sweetness as we find ourselves able to trust Him and hope for what's to come.

So what about this sweet failure? I checked the recipe again. No, it did not say to oil the baking sheets, but I decided to do so for the last dozen, and ten out of twelve turned out well. Thankfully, I have enough for my class tomorrow. Unfortunately, I faced more disappointments throughout the day and had an inner battle for contentment and peace. Sadly, this led to the broken I-Love-Yous.

Broken I-Love-Yous?

Yes. My inward focus and inability to shake the disappointment and sadness over today's circumstances had a negative impact on my ability to lovingly engage with my family. My sweet children said "I love you" so many times to me and gave caring hugs that just felt like they were getting in the way and slowing me down this evening. Their sweet smiles were a good attempt to cheer me, but my barrier was pretty strong tonight. I wanted to knock it down, but didn't. It was hard to return the hugs, smiles, and I-love-yous. They were broken. I felt broken. I felt like Paul, as recorded in the Bible book of Romans: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" (Romans 8:15, 18b).

How many times do we give God broken I-love-yous, too? How often do we allow circumstances to break our relationship with Him? How many blessings has He tried to lavish upon us that we have snubbed?


Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Here is a link to a song that came to mind: "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. God can make everything new, if we will allow Him.

The Seventh Dunk

Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana an Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel..."

2 Kings 5:10-15a

This story gets me every time. Our kids and I read it together yesterday morning during our Bible time and we discussed some of the very things I want to share with you.

After reading the passage above, do you think Naaman believed he would be healed by dipping himself seven times in the Jordan River? I doubt it. He went off in a rage and mentioned that the rivers in Damascus were better than the Jordan. I have heard that the Jordan River was not necessarily a pretty river and was actually pretty gross. Did his servants believe? We don't know, but they seemed to care about Naaman. They called him "father." He must have treated them kindly. I think they were at least more hopeful. They convinced Naaman to give the Jordan River a try. How far do you think he stormed down the road before they convinced him to turn back?

The thing that gets me every time in this story is that God chose to reveal His power and heal Naaman in spite of his unbelief! God cares about everyone, not just those who go to church and call themselves Christians! I have heard that from a worldly perspective seeing is believing, but from a Christian perspective, believing is seeing. Did you catch that? Christianity is based on faith. Faith is required. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). For we live by faith, not be sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Once you believe, then you start to see how God is working in you and around you.

But that was not the case here. Maybe Naaman had an inkling of hope. He was definitely desirous of a cure, so maybe once his anger subsided, he was more hopeful and believed it might work. I don't know, though. I still lean toward the idea that he was more like, "Fine, I'll try it. It won't work, but I'll go in the Jordan just to prove it to you." I've always wondered if the healing came little by little, or not until the seventh dunk...Similar to the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests. They were all healed but only one came back thanking Jesus and praising God. Were they healed somewhere along the road as they walked to the temple, or not until they took the last step into the temple? I could imagine faith would increase in increments if the healing began early in the process and came in portions, but that's not how God always works - sometimes it's not until the seventh dunk.

Here are a couple verses that came to mind:

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29).

Sometimes God lets the seeing come before the believing. Like Naaman. Like Paul, who used to be known as Saul of Tarsus. Like Muslims who dream about Isa (Jesus) calling them away from Islam before they have much, if any, thought of the sort - even if they are leaders in their religion. Like the disciple John when he went to Jesus' empty tomb: "Finally the other disciple [John], who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed" (John 20:8).

God's ways don't always make sense to us. God doesn't always answer the way we want Him to answer us. Does that sway your belief in Him? 

I know there are times I pray, knowing the He is completely capable to answer my prayer the way I want, but not sure that He will - not sure that He wants the same thing I do. I wonder if my will really matches His will, so sometimes I have doubts about whether He will act in a certain situation. I see the trees; He sees the forest. Seriously, He sees the whole universe, not just the forest! He sees all of space and time, so He knows how His answer will affect not only the people here and now, in the local vicinity, but the further reaches across this current generation and future generations. Anyhow, back to the point, do I have faith enough that He will answer? I believe that yes, I do, but sometimes I'm with the father above, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" My faith grows after the seeing. 

That's not unusual, though. Yes, believing leads to seeing...and then seeing leads to believing more...which leads to seeing more...which -- you get the point. Our faith grows. We "...continue to work out [our] salvation..." (Philippians 2:12). 

"...as your faith continues to grow..." (2 Corinthians 10:15)

"...your faith is growing more and more..." (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

"...so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good," (1 Peter 2:2b-3)

Naaman's servants convinced him to follow Elisha's directions, to go into the Jordan and dip seven times. How many were with him? How many witnessed his miraculous healing and his new faith in the God of Israel? How many of his servants also began to believe at that moment? How many faith journeys began after the seventh dunk?

Sometimes believing is seeing...but occasionally, God allows us to see, and then believe.

How's the Lighting?

Houses! I enjoy looking at houses. I like to see the color and material choices inside and out, the landscaping, the different elements chosen (arches, beams, flooring, etc.), the floorplans, the yard - it's interesting to me. Old houses and new houses - they all hold their own intrigue. Yesterday, while driving, I was admiring some of the houses I passed. I noticed one with four or five small, square windows way up high and I thought it would be interesting to see what the lighting was like in that house.

God hit me immediately with the thought that that was what is important in people, too! Yes, the outside might look nice. I might wonder about what a person likes to eat, how they like to dress, what kind of shampoo or toothpaste they use, or any sort of thing like that...

...but what I really want to know is "How's the lighting?"

Have they opened the windows of their soul to allow God to pour His life-giving gifts into their lives? Or have they pulled down the blinds and shut the black-out curtains? Do they open up their Bibles daily to allow Him to speak to them and direct their lives day-by-day and decision-by-decision? Do they have lots of windows, so the light that is inside can also be seen on the outside? Do they walk in the light that He provides or stumble in artificial light? You know, artificial light can be dim, like a candle or single lamp, or blindingly bright, but it simply doesn't compare to His light. It can come from other religious thoughts, the beliefs of one's culture, intellectual media, anything from a perspective other than God's. 

I want to know what is inside a person. Have they decorated the walls of their minds with Scripture? Are there pictures hanging in their heart of people for whom they pray, people for whom they get on their knees, either literally or figuratively, and weep for their salvation, healing, or other needs? Are they allowing God to prepare the meals with which they feed their family, friends, and those with whom they come into contact each day? Do they have a quiet sitting room in which they wait on the Lord, listening for Him to speak? Oh, that still, small voice that can shake the foundations of the house by it's amazing power and yet has the strength to restrain itself when He speaks to the heart of one of His beloved children!

I want to know if they know, love, and follow after Jesus with everything that is in them. That is what is important.

How is the lighting in your life? Is it time to throw open some curtains and raise some blinds, to turn off the lamps and let the true light flow in? Is it time to scoot the piles out of the way so you can sit in quietly in God's presence, so you can hear Him speak? I'm praying for you.

"...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart," (1 Samuel 16:7).

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight (1 Peter 3:3-4).

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven," (Matthew 5:14-16).