365 Reflections

Will a miracle make someone believe? The answer is no. A miracle does not make you believe. The obvious evidence is that after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, those who did not believe in Jesus saw it and doubled down on their efforts to kill him and now the resurrected Lazarus! Psalm 78 is proof positive of the stubborn heart of man when it comes to faith and miracles. The first 31 verses recount all the miracles God had done for Israel... rescuing them from slavery, feeding them in the wilderness, water from the rock... splitting the sea... amazing wonders. But no matter what God did, they kept rebelling and refusing to trust Him... Psalm 78:32 (ESV) In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. So if miracles and wonders do not cause belief, what does?  Look at what it says two verses later! Psalm 78:34 (ESV) 34 When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. What? Whe...

Psalm 57 was sung by David in the Cave while he hid from the deadly pursuit of Saul's jealous rage. That is very important to understand when you read the first line: Psalm 57:1 (ESV)   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. David was stuck, alone, in a dark dreary cave. But his firm confidence in God is so strong he sees the cave as the "shadow" of the Lord's wings "till the storms... pass b y." I don't know if you like where you right now. Perhaps you're sitting in a cave. Perhaps you had dreams that seem to have never come to pass and instead of "arriving" you've been barely surviving. Life can be like that some times. What do you do in God's cave? Complain? Pray? Groan? That's what many do. David sings and he considers this dark damp cave the loving hand of God who knows no...

Matthew 16:1 (ESV) And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. I was thinking about this today: what could God do that would actually satisfy the unconvinced? We all have doubts... questions... We all struggle with the big "whys?" of life. So many demand God "prove" Himself. What "sign" could or should God do so that doubters might believe? I don't think there is one. People are far too fussy and fickle. The atheist has decided to believe there is no God.  They do this because of their perceived "lack" of evidence.  Or some disbelieve due to the enormous amount of evidence to the contrary: Starving children in Somalia, innocence lost in America, women tortured and enslaved all over.  Where is God?  Why won't He step in?  He must not exist. What does He have to do? - Stop the murder from happening in the next town tomorrow? - Cease all killings in Sudan by Sunday? -...

But when he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." (Matthew 14:30 ESV) This is a cry from a man who probably bit off more than he could chew. A man who willingly jumped at the chance to walk on water but suddenly realized he was walking on water . His step of faith also exposed his dark side of fear. When we take a chance of faith, we also take a chance to really blow it. Of course the alternative is to do nothing, play it safe, never experience the need for God to step in. That kind of life doesn't do much for anyone. It doesn't inspire.  It doesn't make it into Gospels. Peter is the disciple MOST people appreciate because he tried and failed. If he never tried we wouldn't know him, and if he had never failed, we wouldn't be able to sympathize with him. Peter's failures help as much as his successes. Peter is a lot like us. There is a part of us that wants to get out of the boat and ...