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Bring Back the Joy --- B B t J . O r g
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BECOMING ACQUAINTED WITH GOD
Have you ever met someone you didn't know before? That's kind of a stupid question. There are many people we don't know. I'll ask another question. After first meeting someone, how do they become a friend? The simplest was is that we spend time with him/her and gradually come to esteem each other as friends. Part of this may be that there are mutual interests. How does one get acquainted with God? In past "Views" I have expressed the importance of reading the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God and that when we read the Bible, we learn more about Him. Jesus told his disciples that he and the father were totally alike. John 14:8-10 I want to brings up another aspect of acquaintance with God. That is prayer and how it ties in with studying and believing the Bible. I was reading the January 4th (2002) entry in the Steams in the Dessert (L.B. Cowman: edited by James Reimann. Zondervan, 1977) daily devotional. It discusses that we must believe God when we pray. Sometimes our prayers are not immediately answered in a way that we clearly see the answers. "If you do not see the external answer immediately, do not pray for it in such a way that it is evident you are not definitely believing God for it.... Never pray in a way that diminishes your faith. You may tell Him you are waiting, still believing and therefore praising Him for the answer." pp 17-19 The above quote asks if we are praying in a way that expresses doubt of his ability to answer our prayer. Is that what we really believe? We profess to believe in the Bible as the written Word of God. Christ said that if the apostles saw him, then we saw the Father. Therefore, we have to believe that He is not a harsh God but a loving God that wants the best for all of us. Christ compared God the Father to a human father who wants the best for his children. We are told to ask, seek and knock. Luke 11:9-11 Do we think that God doesn't answer prayers? Sometimes, it seems that way when we don't get the answer we want. In addition to the above scripture, one pithy comment on prayer comes from the apostle James. He tells it like it is--that we often don't get the answer because we "pray amiss." James 4:3 Therefore, we must ask ourselves is if we are praying according to God's will. Should I be praying for a 2003 BMW to be plunked into my driveway. I don't think that is the right attitude. But I could tell God of my needs for transportation and ask him to lead me to the car he wants for me. And why do we pray amiss? Because we don't know Jesus. Is he real to us? I have to admit that I haven't had the relationship with Him that I should have. I recently attended a conference that discussed the importance of our relationship with Jesus. I learned that I really need to study His Words, his character, and his attitudes. To meditate on the Word. When I really know him, then I can pray in His will and God's will. ...and they lived happily ever after. Probably not the way we would with on the human level--but if I find peace and contentment in Christ, then I can find peace and contentment in my physical life. |
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