Getting Gut Honest with God

Getting Gut Honest with God is a good way to start your week.

Does God change his mind in response to prayer?

A friend sent me the following question. “I read once that prayers change the mind of God sometimes. Do you think God’s will is altered at times with persistent prayers?”

My short answer is yes sometimes God changes his mind in response to our prayers. 

Still pointing eyes toward heaven

There are instances in the Bible that demonstrate that. When the people of Israel worshiped a golden calf, the Lord declared he planned to wipe them out. However, Moses prayed for them and God repented or changed his mind about the judgment. (Exodus 32:1-14) When King David prayed for the people of Israel, God changed his mind and stopped the angel of death as it approached Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 24) The Bible proclaims we often don’t have what we want simply because we did not ask for it. (James 4:1-2)

Reasons for Thanksgiving

In a few days our nation will set aside a day for expressing gratitude.  Many families will gather together to share laughter, tears and good food.  There will be pies, cakes and football on TV.  Shoppers will make plans for “Black Friday.”  There may be a prayer offered to give thanks.  Some families will insist each person express thanks for something before they eat.  Others will dive right in. There will also be people who wonder what reason, if any, there is for giving thanks.  

What about you?  How are you doing at finding reasons to thank God?

I’ve been thinking about the last 12 months or so.  I began by listing the really big events of the year.  The big ones for me are (1) lots of changes in my wife’s work; (2) the birth of my first blog; (3) my writing mentor Cheryl Moeller connected me to the fine writers at The Barn Door; and (4) learning a great deal about writing and social media.  As I reflect on these events, I find several reasons to thank God.

Why did bad things happen?

Why did God allow horrible things to happen to a good man like Job?

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The story of Job may be one of the oldest accounts recorded in the Bible.  If so, that means humans have struggled with the question of bad things happening to good people for thousands of years. (Job)

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.  This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. (Job 1:1)

One of my mentors at Asbury  Theological Seminary, pointed out that everyone builds a box for God.  Each of us seeks to explain God and what we perceive to be his actions.  However, God is too big for any of our boxes.  As soon as you have him neatly contained in your little box something happens that breaks your box.

In the book of Job and in the thousands of years since, most of our boxes for God expect him to give good things to good people and bad things to bad people. Job’s friends looked at his suffering and concluded that he must have sinned on a grand scale.  Job insisted on his innocence and attacked God’s character because he too believed a good things happened to good people.  His life proves that sometimes bad things happen to the best people.  Job needed a bigger box for God.

When we need to build a bigger box, we often feel deserted and abandoned by God.  A family friend told us of about his son’s fear following surgery to remove his tonsils.  As the boy began to wake up, he cried out for his daddy.  He was inconsolable.  When the drugs finally wore off and he was fully awake, the boy realized his daddy had been holding him all along.

There is one question facing each person in this world where bad things happen to good people. Will you build a bigger box for God?

It can be worded in many ways. Will you live with an ever expanding understanding of God?  Will you learn to trust him even when you don’t have answers for all your questions?

How can you build a bigger box?

1. Open up to life as it is not as you want it to be.  We live in a universe that’s been called mean, unpredictable, unjust and unfair.  Don’t deny the facts or twist them to fit your understanding of God.  Don’t ignore your feelings or the experiences of others.
2. Open up to God.  Utilize the spiritual disciplines to connect with him.  Read and study the Bible.  Pray and fast.  Meditate on Jesus’  teaching.  Experience the power of his love and grace.  Enjoy his presence — even when you feel abandoned.

Perhaps one of these posts will help you.

• Repost: Why does God let bad things happen to children?
• How can I invest time reading the Bible  so my life is changed?
• What are the benefits of reading the Bible?
• Praying the Bible
• Developing a Consistent Prayer Practice

What do you think?  Have you needed to build a bigger box?  Share your comments.  If this article has helped you please use one of the buttons below to share it with your friends and followers.  Thank you.

TOP TEN REASONS TO ATTEND WORSHIP

Why should I attend worship at a church?

MY TOP TEN REASONS TO WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY

Come on in

10.  It’s a good excuse to buy new jeans.

9.    It can’t be as boring as you think.

8.    Most pastors are truly caring people.

7.    You might see an old friend or meet a new friend.

6.    Even atheists and agnostics check out worship celebrations from time to time.

5.    The church roof has not been tested for a couple of years.

4.    It will give you the right to tell your grandmother, “I went to church.”

3.    Your nosey neighbor won’t know what you’re up to.

2.    Attending worship will give you a good opportunity to connect with God in a fresh way.

1.    You’ve said, “I need to go back to church” long enough.  Just do it.

You may find one of the following posts helpful too.

• Why go to church? Part One
• Why go to church? Part Two
• Why go to church? Part Three
• Why go to church? Part Four
• How can I get the most out of worship this Sunday?

What do you think?  What are your reasons for attending worship at a church?  Tell me in the comments section.  By the way, please use one of the buttons below to share this post with your friends.  Thank you.

Reflections on 9-11

This coming Sunday will mark the tenth anniversary of the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.

This is not news to anyone in this country with access to a radio, TV, or social media.  You cannot avoid it.  I know because I’ve tried.  (Credit: Free images from acobox.com)

Every generation seems to have at least one defining event.  Some happening that alters the thinking of an entire nation.  For my parents, it was Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.  For me, it was the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy along with Martin Luther King, Jr.  For my children, it was planes flying into the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.

In each of these events, gallant men and women have risked their lives to help those in harm’s way.  Many gave their lives to save the lives of others.  These heroes deserve our gratitude and admiration.  They were God’s hands of love in dangerous times.  And so are the men and women who follow in their footsteps today.

But we must be honest about our responses to these history shaping events.  We have also acted out of fear and hatred.  Internment camps for Japanese American citizens.  Dropping atomic bombs.  Riots and looting.  Burning crosses.  Church bombings.  Wars.

What can we do as we reflect on 9-11 ten years later?

• We can pray for those who still have an empty chair at the dinner table because a loved one died in the attacks.
• We can pray for our leaders who must make morally difficult and perplexing decisions every day.
• We can pray for God’s love to flow through us to those in need.
• We can pray for those who plot to kill us and to destroy our nation.
• We can pray that God will drive fear and hatred from our hearts.

The best thing we can do as we reflect on 9-11 this year is to pray.

That’s what I plan to do.  What about you what are your plans?  Let me know in the comments below.

If this post has been helpful to you, you may also enjoy Remembering 9/11: What Pastors Should and Shouldn’t Do.

Repost: Why does God let bad things happen to children?

This post has been found most often by people doing searches so I thought it would be good to repost it with some revisions.

How could God allow a mad man to kill Christina Green, a lovely 9-year-old girl in Tuscon, AZ?  What possible good could this tragedy serve?  Why did God allow it?  In a broader sense, why do bad things happen to children?  Why does our loving God allow a child to die of starvation or related causes every few seconds?  Why does he allow these little ones to be abused, molested, maimed or killed?

Allow me to begin by pointing out that the why question is essentially unanswerable.

If something horrible happened to my granddaughter, you could not comfort me with a list of reasons implying it had to happen.  Think about it with me.  If Jesus himself appeared to you now and said your child will fall ill tomorrow and he gave you a list of reasons, how would you respond?

Nap time on Grandpa's chest

I know what I would do.  I would start arguing with him.  I’d suggest alternatives.  I’d plead for the illness to fall on me and not my child.  There are no reasons good enough to answer this question.  Bearing that in mind, I’d like to make a few observations about God, children and the why question.

God is not afraid of this question.

In fact, his people have asked why for thousands of years.   Some of them are recorded in the Bible’s song book — the book of Psalms.

O LORD, why do you stand so far away?  Why do you hide when I am in trouble? (Psalm 10:1)

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?  Why are you so far away when I groan for help?  (Psalm 22:1)

“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me?  Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?” (Psalm 42:9)

  For you are God, my only safe haven.  Why have you tossed me aside?  Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?  (Psalm 43:2)

  Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep?  Get up! Do not reject us forever.  Why do you look the other way?  Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression? (Psalm 44:23-24)

Children are especially dear to God too.  Our love and empathy for their pain is a faint reflection of how the Lord feels about them.  God is working all the time through those who are advocates for the hurting children.  His love flows into their lives through their caregivers.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” (Matthew 19:14)

Jesus put a little child among them.  Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”  (Mark 9:36-37)

Jesus said, “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.  But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”  (Matthew 18:5-6)

God is closer to us when we are asking why then perhaps any other time.

He has not abandoned us.  One of the mysteries of the crucifixion is that at the same time God the Son was dying for our sins, he felt forsaken by God.

At three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, … “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”  (Mark 15:34)

That means that when you do not understand why bad things are happening God knows how you feel.  He knows what it’s like to ask the unanswerable question and hear silence in response.  You are not approaching a distant, disconnected Deity.  Our God understands our weaknesses and pain. (Hebrews 4:15)  So, feel free to turn to the Lord and cry out your why questions.  He will welcome you.  He will enfold you in his arms and share your tears.  You will not receive a list of reasons but he will give you help and comfort in your time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Credit: Free photos from acobox.com

If this post has been helpful to you perhaps you will enjoy one of these.

• Is God unfair?
• Is God silent?
• Is God Hidden or Hiding?
• Why didn’t Jesus do something?

What do you think about this?  Tell me in the comments section.  By the way, if this post has helped you use one of the buttons below to share it with your friends.  Thank you.

Why do I feel so bad?

I’ve felt sad and depressed for months. Why does God let me feel so bad? Why won’t he make me better?

Credit: Free photos from acobox.com

You may need professional or medical treatment.

You may need professional counseling, especially if you have thoughts of harming yourself or others.  If you have suicidal thoughts ask your best friend or spouse to accompany you to your doctor.

If you’ve felt depressed for a long time you should discuss your feelings with your doctor.  Depression often has physical causes that can be treated with medicines.  This would be a good time to ask your physician for a thorough examination.

If your doctor says you’re okay these may help.

In general, your feelings are responses to specific thoughts or situations in your life.  Grief is an obvious example.  When you lose a loved one because of death you can expect to feel bad for a while.  However, some good changes in your life can cause you distress.  For example, graduating from college and moving to a new city to start your career.  Not only will you feel excited with this challenge, you may feel a sense of loss for your classmates and family you won’t see as often.  You might even feel some guilt for grieving these losses and then you’ll feel even worse.

Determine what thoughts dominate your mind.  What are you thinking about?  What are you pushing to the back of your mind trying not to think about?  These thoughts can be causing your sad feelings.  Try writing them down in a journal.  Sometimes simply putting your painful thoughts on paper takes the sting out of them.  Sometimes you may need to talk them out with a  friend or your pastor.

Decide to change your focus.  Take a break from thinking about the stresses in your life.  Start to focus on the blessings and opportunities you have.  Answer your negative thoughts like, “This will never end” with a positive thoughts such as, “But God can help me learn perseverance.”

You may be interested in these posts as well:

1. Why didn’t Jesus do something?
2. Can God really forgive me?
3. How can I overcome discouragement?

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Why didn’t Jesus do something?

I prayed for my father to be healed but he died.  Why didn’t Jesus do something?

You are not the only one who has asked this question.   When Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus, was sick Jesus did not arrive until it was too late.  Lazarus had been in his tomb for four days.  His sisters, Martha and Mary both greeted Jesus with this sentence. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  (John 11:21,32)  Bystanders in the crowd of mourners also asked, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus was confronted three times by three distinct persons or groups – and each time the question echoed in the hearts of everyone who has lost a friend or family member to death.  The question is worded differently or sometimes it’s a simple statement.

• Lord, you could have prevented this death.
• Lord, do you really care about us?
• Jesus, why didn’t you do something?

Jesus was asked three questions and he gave no direct answers – Jesus doesn’t seem answer our questions about death and why it comes when it comes.

• Jesus answered Martha with a statement about who he is: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
• Jesus answered Mary by asking for directions to the grave.
• Jesus did not answer the bystanders at all.

The First Step of Faith

Before I go any further, I want to assure you that if you are asking questions, you have taken the first step of faith.  You trust Jesus enough to ask your question.  Too many Christians are afraid of questions because they’re scared that Jesus can’t handle them.  Believe me when I say the Bible and history are full of faith filled saints who asked questions.

Sometimes actions speak louder than words - Jesus answers our questions with his response at the graveside.  there are questions that words cannot answer.  There are answers that words simply cannot convey.

Jesus wept.

• Jesus wept – because he shared Mary and Martha’s grief.  He felt it deep in the center of his being.  He experienced the same sucker punch in the gut grief gives to all of us.
• Jesus wept – because he loved Lazarus.  This was one of his closest friends.  His heart was broken by his loss just as yours has been broken.
• Jesus wept – because he knows death was not God’s plan for us.  God created us to live in an eternal intimate relationship with him.
• Jesus wept – even though he knew what he was going to do.

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.  Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

A Few Observations and a Question

• No matter how close the resurrection may be – whether minutes, months or centuries – death still causes pain and grief.
• No matter how close it may be – death still breaks our hearts as well as the heart of God.
• Even when grief’s silence feels like it will crush you soul, Jesus is with you, weeping.
• Jesus wept.  You can trust him.
• Jesus wept. You can believe in him.
• Do you have enough faith to wait for the day when all our questions won’t matter anymore?

You may be interested in these posts as well:

1. Why aren’t all Christians healed of illnesses?
2. I God hidden or hiding?
3. How can I deal with the grief I feel?
4. Why does God let bad things happen to children?

What do you think?  You can send your thoughts to me in the comments section below, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn or by email.  If this post encouraged you or if you believe it might help someone you know, please share it using the buttons below.  Thank you.

Dealing with Long-Term Problems

I’ve been facing a painful situation for over two years.  How can I keep going?  What can I do to deal with this long-term problem?

As we face a chronic situation, my wife and I find real hope and encouragement in the promise of Isaiah 30:18.   The Message paraphrase puts it like this.  

“GOD’s not finished.  He’s waiting around to be gracious to you.  He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you.  GOD takes the time to do everything right — everything.  Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.”

We often feel as though our problems last far too long.  Sometimes we wonder if God has forgotten us.  So did people in the Bible.  One of them wrote out his prayer song of sorrow.

“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me?  Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?” (Psalm 42:9)

However, the verse from Isaiah reminds us that it takes time to do things right.

We know that from our experiences.  It may be faster to buy turkey and all the fixings at a restaurant but it will not be as good as the feast your grandma made for Christmas.

So, if God seems to be moving slow in your life right now, read this promise several times.  Let the power of knowing the Lord looks for the perfect time to bless you with the right blessing fill your heart with hope.  Face your problems with the courage that comes from knowing God has your back.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  YOU CAN SEND YOUR THOUGHTS TO ME IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW, ON FACEBOOK, ON TWITTER, ON LINKEDIN OR BY EMAIL.  IF THIS POST HAS HELPED YOU OR IF YOU BELIEVE IT MIGHT HELP SOMEONE YOU KNOW, PLEASE SHARE IT.  THANK YOU.