God Came To Us

God came to us long ago and said let there be light.

Time and space became for all a journey into night.

Beauty was His whisper, conscience heard Him speak,
Now and then He shouted through pain that made us weak.

He came to us again through prophets and the law,
Oh to see again the visions men of old once saw.

He came so close one starry night, and stayed for 30 years.
Our journey changed forever when God shed human tears.

He came afresh when all seemed lost - later it was said:
“Did we not recognize Him in the breaking of the bread?”

To my Baptist friends

1. There is a downward pull throughout life against which we all struggle. It manifests itself in addiction, hatred, violence, depression, confusion, selfishness, arrogance, suffering, emptiness and a host of other destructive actions and social systems.

2. We all need help in overcoming that destructive force which is both internal and external . We may or may not be aware of our need. God must open our eyes.

3. God, working through other people, random circumstances, our own prayers and desires, etc., will provide that help.

4. ...If we don't resist...if we freely cooperate. Our cooperation involves faith, repentance, love, denying self, charity, worship, hope, etc.

5. This is a life-long process. Salvation is a process through time rather than a point in time. There will be many key moments along the way, but none of these can be labeled "the" moment of conversion.

Why?

I've been thinking of the girl in the news today who was kidnapped at age 11 and held as a slave for 18 years in the kidnappers backyard...bearing him two children. I have 3 daughters and the thought of such a tragic event leaves me asking why a loving, all powerful God allows such horror. I know all the traditional answers, but I also know that if that were my daughter, those answers would probably not satisfy me.

Is there an explanation? No, only a response. Job's wife told Job to "curse God and die", but Job said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him." I trust that somehow God was with her at some level beyond our comprehension, ...and that even though she must have cried out many times in 11 year old language, "Why hast Thou forsaken me?", there was and still will be a "resurrection" for her and her family.

Often, it's the fact that we don't know very much about life and eternity that gives me hope... that the answers to life's most difficult questions lie in that vast realm of unknowing. I simply trust that "the God of all the earth... will do what's right" and someday will "wipe away all tears from our eyes". I pray for her and her family's healing.