In my earlier blogs, I
tried to draw a distinction between the different ways in which we can know
things, whether knowing is intellectual or personal.
In “Acknowledge What WeAre” (Click for link), I finished on the note that knowing God was
like knowing a person and involved a personal encounter. It may start as
theoretical knowledge, something interesting, but distant or remote. It may
even be knowledge that is nearer to home, but not necessarily affecting
anything that we do in our lives.
Initially, of course,
we must talk to God. I am not sure of all different the reasons why we might do
this. It might, at some point in our lives, just seem a very natural thing to
do. For example, for those in a family, who go to church, it may just be something
that they do as a matter of course.
Alternatively someone
might suggest talking to God as an idea or a solution to a situation or problem.
For example, faced with a serious problem, such an actual or potential
unemployment or an important and difficult decision, a friend might suggest
that praying to God for help can at least have no downside. I don’t suppose
that this happens very often.
But what about most
cases, where people have no contact with someone who believes in God. In this
case, the act of talking to God must either be spontaneous, perhaps
self-motivated or motivated by something external.
I can suggest two ways
in which this might happen.
When Good Things
Happen
Something very good might
happen, whether expected, like the birth of a child or an unexpected kindness,
a piece of good fortune or an accident or problem avoided, because of someone or
something else. In these circumstances, we might feel a sense of thankfulness,
even the thought “There is a God, after all”, not in an ironic sense, but
genuine gratitude.
These circumstances
provide a brief period, if only felt for a fleeting moment or a few hours or
even a number of days when God is not hidden from us. It might be like the
parting of dark curtains or like the sun briefly appearing in the crack in the
clouds. In this moment, God reveals something about himself to us, if only his
existence or presence. However, in most cases, we do not consider how we should
respond to this and such moments are all too brief and quickly forgotten.
When Bad Things
Happen
However, in most
cases, we do not recognise God’s hand in these ordinary daily events. To be
honest, we generally consider someone a bit mad, if they start to see ordinary
good things that happen to them as something from God. Such thoughts are
generally regarded as bordering on the superstitious. God may speak gently and
kindly to us, and we ignore him.
This therefore leads
then into my second idea on how God might speak to us. He is left with more
direct methods. I am not talking here about a punishment from God, but ways in
which He can get our attention. Perhaps for years, we have had a good and
sufficiently successful life. How often have we thanked God for this, or asked
Him what we should do in response? The answer most likely is never or at least
very rarely. One should reflect on this before complaining that God causes
events to occur that we find painful.
In, “Where Would You TurnTo” (Click for link), I thought that some great need might drive us
to look for God’s help. This seems to me a very sensible response by us. This
turning to God in a time of trouble is also one of the great themes of the
Bible. In moments of extreme need, we are meant to turn to God. Perhaps God has
even made these circumstances come about to encourage us to talk to Him. We can
become resentful and angry or we can respond like the writer of Psalm 31, who
cries to God for help. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2031&version=NIV
Although it seems very
harsh, when God takes the carpet from beneath our feet, He will at last have
our attention. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot ignore God in the good
times and then complain that He has caused things to go wrong.
