Followers of Christ know the importance of being saved, but the world sees no need for rescue. The truth is that those who don’t have a personal relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus are ...
• Spiritually dead. Spiritual death first occurred in the garden of Eden. Disobedience severed Adam and Eve’s connection to God and caused all of their descendants—including us—to be separated from Him (Rom. 5:12). What this means is that we are born as “dead” people in need of new life. Unfortunately, those who have refused Jesus as Savior at the end of the age will experience another death when they’re cast away from God (Matt. 25:41; Revelation 20:14).
• Living a life of sin. Our nature is to rebel against God, and that is called sin. Over and over we choose what pleases us, not Him, and any efforts we make to free ourselves from sin are in vain (John 8:34).
• Under divine wrath. Sinful man has nothing acceptable to offer holy God; there is no way to earn His approval and escape punishment.
Though our sins deserve His wrath, God made a way for us to escape it. Tomorrow we’ll read about the Savior He sent to take the penalty in our place (Rom. 5:9).
A common hindrance to our prayer life is a lack of perseverance. Many Christians feel that once they’ve prayed for something, the answer should immediately be forthcoming. But God is not a bellhop, waiting to give us what we want the moment we petition Him. Imagine if the Lord instantly provided whatever we request—we might not develop virtues like patience, trust, and dependence upon Him.
The Lord is faithful to answer our prayers, but not always in the way we expect. Yet even when the answer is no, we can be sure that what He gives is better than what we requested. Consider the apostle Paul—though he repeatedly asked for relief from his “thorn in the flesh,” he was given something more spiritually beneficial. God not only protected Paul from pride but also used the apostle’s weakness to display divine power (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Since Paul’s prayer wasn’t answered the way he’d originally hoped, you might wonder about the requests you bring to the Lord. The truth is, we don’t always know how to pray as we should, but thankfully, we have a Helper in the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us according to God’s will. If we don’t receive what we hoped, we can be sure that the Spirit knew exactly what to ask on our behalf—and that what we received as a result was best.
Almighty God reserves the right to reveal some things and conceal others. Although we may not know why natural disasters occur, three biblical truths we do know with absolute certainty allow us to trust the Lord even in times of great suffering.
1. The Lord is in control (Psalm 103:19). Nothing in heaven or on earth is outside of His authority. He does not react to events but sovereignly ordains or permits them in accordance with His plans.
2. God loves people and wants them to be saved (John 3:16-17). Giving His Son for the salvation of mankind proves the Father’s love. This truth stands firm despite the fact that many reject the Savior.
3. Whatever god allows is for His good purposes (Gen. 50:20). Though we cannot fully comprehend what He is doing in each incident, every disaster is an opportunity for the world to know God and lean on Him.
God loves us perfectly and is sovereignly working everything for our good and His glory. This realization should fill us with hope, even in the midst of a crisis. Then, instead of reacting in fear, we will find refuge in Him.
Anytime a natural disaster strikes, it’s understandable that big questions come to mind—about things like life, death, and why we are here. The magnitude of death and destruction caused by earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, or floods displaces our normal everyday thoughts, leading us instead to seek explanations for suffering.
Often we answer our own questions based on our personal understanding of God. If He does something that doesn’t fit into the box we’ve designed for Him, we easily become angry or confused. Since we are mortal, earth-bound, and sinful, we have a limited understanding of how life actually works. But our eternal, sinless, and sovereign Creator is omniscient—He sees and knows what we cannot perceive.
God has given us His Word to help us wrestle through these difficult issues and grow in our knowledge of Him. An accurate viewpoint of the Lord’s role in natural disasters must come from the Bible, not from our own narrow perspective of life. Of course, we’ll never be able to fully comprehend such a mighty, transcendent God, but the more we understand how He works in the world, the greater our trust in Him will be. Keep in mind, however, that when His ways defy comprehension, then faith in His goodness, love, and wisdom must be our foundation.
Spiritually, we’ve all had dry seasons, so you probably understand the desire for renewed vitality in your relationship with Christ. Perhaps you tried the latest devotional book people rave about, sought an emotional experience through worship music, tried to gain momentum by attending a conference, or looked online for a message that assured growth.
Although these methods all seem promising, they’re not infallible. On their own, some might afford short-lived solutions, but others could actually be ear ticklers that lead away from genuine intimacy with Christ. To be strengthened spiritually, it’s essential to start with the Bible—the only source of absolute truth. While other Christian resources can be helpful, they become far more valuable when used as building blocks on the trustworthy foundation of God’s Word. All other avenues have potential for human slant. Even seeking the Lord in prayer is not foolproof without the Word, which provides the basis for our requests and fellowship with Him.
Some believers see the Bible as a big book that takes too much time and effort to understand, so they look elsewhere for answers. They want a shortcut to sanctification and intimacy with the Lord, but there really isn’t one. God’s Word is His love letter to you. As you spend time with this gift and lean on the Holy Spirit for guidance, your appreciation of it will grow.
