Edited by Jim McCrory, Wednesday, 18 Sept 2024, 16:30
When I take a walk in the park, the beach, or a
star filled sky in a winter’s evening, I see God all around. This planet has
the footprint of a wise, benevolent architect.
Would God make all these provisions and not make himself
available to his intelligent creatures?
There is a reassuring promise made in Acts 17:
26-28,
“From one man he made every nation of humanity to
live all over the earth, fixing the seasons of the year and the national
boundaries within which they live, so that they might look for God, somehow
reach for him, and find him. Of course, he is never far from any one of us.”
(New International Version).
Think about that last phrase that reads “he is
never that far from any of us.” Think of some of the other expressions such as
“Look for him”, “reach out”. Some translations say, “grope for him”.
These expressions highlight the need to seek God
with an element of effort on our part. God is not there as a prayer wheel that
we can attach a prayer and then never think about God again as we get on with
our lives. There is a level of commitment to seeking God. It means reading his
word, making every effort to harmonise our lives with God’s requirements.
Many years ago, I left the religious organisation I
was affiliated with. It meant leaving people I had known all my life. It meant
shaping a new identity. It meant finding new spiritual friendships.
One Sunday morning, I woke with a deep sense of
loneliness. My wife and I decided to make this a heartfelt prayer to God. Later that morning, we went on a historical
walking tour in Edinburgh whilst keeping our hearts open to God’s response.
During the tour, there was a couple from England
who were making eye contact with us and sharing the occasional light
conversation with us.
At the end of the tour, I left my wife in the
square and went to the toilet. When I returned, my wife said, “If we wait here,
the couple we were talking with would like to have a coffee with us. They will
return soon.”
Over the coffee, we discovered that they were
Christians. We have kept in touch for over a decade, during which they have
been a tremendous support in our Christian pathway.
It was some years later that I discovered that the
reason they disappeared and came back that day was to seek God’s guidance. They
felt the spirit of God guiding them to us despite not knowing the prayer we
uttered that morning for friendships.
There are different ways that God answers prayers,
and that will be dealt with in a future post.
Will God answer my prayer?
When I take a walk in the park, the beach, or a star filled sky in a winter’s evening, I see God all around. This planet has the footprint of a wise, benevolent architect.
Would God make all these provisions and not make himself available to his intelligent creatures?
There is a reassuring promise made in Acts 17: 26-28,
“From one man he made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth, fixing the seasons of the year and the national boundaries within which they live, so that they might look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. Of course, he is never far from any one of us.” (New International Version).
Think about that last phrase that reads “he is never that far from any of us.” Think of some of the other expressions such as “Look for him”, “reach out”. Some translations say, “grope for him”.
These expressions highlight the need to seek God with an element of effort on our part. God is not there as a prayer wheel that we can attach a prayer and then never think about God again as we get on with our lives. There is a level of commitment to seeking God. It means reading his word, making every effort to harmonise our lives with God’s requirements.
Many years ago, I left the religious organisation I was affiliated with. It meant leaving people I had known all my life. It meant shaping a new identity. It meant finding new spiritual friendships.
One Sunday morning, I woke with a deep sense of loneliness. My wife and I decided to make this a heartfelt prayer to God. Later that morning, we went on a historical walking tour in Edinburgh whilst keeping our hearts open to God’s response.
During the tour, there was a couple from England who were making eye contact with us and sharing the occasional light conversation with us.
At the end of the tour, I left my wife in the square and went to the toilet. When I returned, my wife said, “If we wait here, the couple we were talking with would like to have a coffee with us. They will return soon.”
Over the coffee, we discovered that they were Christians. We have kept in touch for over a decade, during which they have been a tremendous support in our Christian pathway.
It was some years later that I discovered that the reason they disappeared and came back that day was to seek God’s guidance. They felt the spirit of God guiding them to us despite not knowing the prayer we uttered that morning for friendships.
There are different ways that God answers prayers, and that will be dealt with in a future post.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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