Christian Faith Perspectives

Does God answer prayer? Certainly, and often in quite dramatic ways. Yet, there are times when we pray and there is no answer. The reason could be that we are praying for something which is not God’s will. On the other hand, it might just be that we are not praying through for an answer… we are not being persistent.

Another viewpoint is that God responds to our needs, but not necessarily to our wants! I have certainly proved by personal experience that we have a Heavenly Father who cares for us and will supply us with the necessities of life. A recent experience was the purchase of a new car. My old car had served me well, but with over 700.000 Ks. on the clock it was costing me money in repairs and becoming unreliable. So, I started praying and looking, for a new car. There were numerous visits to car yards, enquiries and test drives. The right replacement vehicle just didn’t seem to be there! So, I just kept praying, still believing for a more recent model of my current car and which would have the latest technology. Finally, I found what I thought was the right car and made an offer. The weeks passed without an answer from the owner, and I began considering another vehicle that I wasn’t really happy with. Just as I was about to ring the other seller the owner rang to accept my offer!!

Jesus hinted at prayer requiring some tenacity on our part when he said there is the aspect of asking, but also the need to seek and finally the emphatic knocking on heaven’s door so to speak. We have all knocked on a door or rung a doorbell and walked away if there was no immediate answer. God is looking for a faith that doesn’t give up, depending totally on Him for the answer.

Ref. Matthew 7:7 NIV.

The pursuit of fitness is popular today as people work out at the gym to strengthen their bodies. There are so many pressures we encounter in our lives, and we feel that making our bodies stronger will help. Physical fitness and self-defence training may well enable us to protect ourselves but will do little to withstand emotional pressures. We need spiritual strengthening within.

I remember that Science Room experiment where the teacher puts water in a kerosene tin and brings it to the boil over a Bunsen burner. Steam begins to gush out of the screw top opening. The teacher would then screw the lid back on, switch off the burner and we would wait to see what would happen. After a while the tin began to crumple as if by some invisible force. We learned that it was the outside pressure which was now greater than that inside the tin.

We can feel crushed by the circumstances we are experiencing, maybe sickness, maybe the loss of a loved one, or simply some life situation which seems to be overwhelming us. We need an equalizing pressure within, some inner power which will withstand those external forces. God’s provision is the Lord Jesus Christ.

At home my garden wheelbarrow tyre has a tendency to go flat, and I have to get out the hand pump to put air pressure back. Amazing the difference it makes! Sometimes I feel that lack of pressure within, that ‘flat tyre feeling’ where my Christian life is a struggle. At such times I remind myself to have faith in Jesus who gives power or if you like, increases my spiritual pressure level.

Ref. 1 John 4:4 NIV

There’s something about a pathway that leads you on through beautiful scenery and has you wondering what view awaits you around the next bend. The day is perfect as you enjoy panoramic views, and your cares vanish as you become one with nature.

The paths we have travelled in life are many and varied, there is the path of employment, of financial matters, of relationships and even the path of self-discovery. Some paths have been good some not so good, and we wish we had our time over again. Our pathway choices determine what will happen in our lives.

From the Christian perspective we know that Jesus is the ‘WAY’. His pathway leads us to God, and no other direction provides us with the forgiveness we all need. But it is more than just freedom from sin, but also the removing of all anxiety from our lives.

Our Heavenly Father has the ability to resolve every situation that is causing us to be anxious. The key in every situation is to be very prayer specific about what concerns us. Gods re direction will be a freedom pathway which is free of stress and worry.

Ref. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV.

We have come a long way in the mechanization of our world. Since machines started doing the work we used to do by hand the speed of new innovations staggers the mind. In an era of advancing mechanization even robots are accepted as a normal replacement of activities we would normally carry out by hand. We now give voice commands, and our equipment responds.

Every area of life is affected by mechanization and associated advances in technology. However, there is one exception, namely our communication with God. There is incredible development in the way we communicate; we can Facetime or use Skype for talking to family and businesspeople around the world. But the method of prayer remains unchanged… no IT help is needed.

And that is what God wants, people that will open their hearts in honesty and talk to Him as their best friend. The Bible records that Moses talked to God face to face like one would talk to a friend. We can all identify with those genuine conversations we can have with a friend; they are heart felt and not a pretence.

Our Heavenly Father is a person we can talk to with sincerity. It is not impersonal or mechanical but personal and from the heart.

Ref. Exodus 33:11 NIV.

Most of us would be familiar with those lumpy crustaceans called barnacles which attach themselves to the skin of whales. These freeloaders are also found on the hulls of ships and actually have a negative effect on the speed of the vessel. The accumulation of barnacles on the ship’s hull creates drag as it moves through the water. The end result is the ship uses more fuel due to this problem called biofouling. The removal of these barnacles from merchant and naval boats becomes a necessary priority to keep boat hulls clean.

In our Christian lives we also have a similar “barnacle’ problem. There can be wrong attitudes and habits in our lives which hinder our progress as believers. The result is our Christian lives are handicapped by these personal failures. God wants us to be free of those things which are holding us back spiritually.

As Christians we can all identify with that personal struggle of not doing the things we want to do or vice versa; that is doing what we don’t want to do. So, we have this “barnacle problem” which needs to be removed. The cleaning up of our lives as it were, is something beyond our ability. This is where the grace of Christ comes into operation to deal with the situation. As we depend on Jesus the result will amaze us; those ‘barnacles’ will be removed from our lives.

So often in our self centred lives we think the world revolves around us. Now there is nothing wrong with having a good self image, and discovering the inner healing of learning to love ourselves. But not to be thinking that it’s all about me, my needs, and my feelings.

All that self-need can just revolve around us, and we get upset if our needs are not satisfied. We can become isolated without any reference point other than ourselves.

From a Christian perspective it is reassuring to know that through personal faith in Christ we have been placed in a spiritual orbit. Our lives now revolve around God and not self.

We are God’s sons and daughters; having been adopted into his family. Nothing has changed, so when doubts arise remember we are still His children.

Ref. Romans 8:15-16, Ephesians 1:4-5. NIV.

 

Consider the diversity of different flower types. Most of us would be familiar with the daisy flower; it belongs to the Asteraceae family which has over 32,000 species. The flowers pictured above belong to the Proteaceae family which has some 1,660 known species.

We see the amazing number of differing species not just in flowers but in the many other kingdoms of the created world. The question arises… what power holds the biological world together? And also, what power enables the myriad of created species to maintain their type or DNA. There must be a force which holds it all together.

I suggest that God’s active word is the sustaining power of the universe and all of creation as we know it on earth. Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” NIV. When God spoke, the natural world was created. There is an innate power in God’s word which maintains permanence in the creation of which we are a part.

When we consider that everything continues by the sustaining power of his WORD there is security, for God is in control!

Ref. Genesis1:1, Psalm 33:9. NIV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bequest is something that is left by will, and can often include works of art. An example is the Felton Bequest established by Alfred Felton, a successful businessman who lived in Melbourne during the 19th. century. His Bequest helps the needy but is also responsible for 80% of the artworks in the National Gallery of Victoria.

As a young school student in Melbourne I recall those excursions we have all done to various places of educational interest. One was to the NGV, and today I still remember the Felton Bequest.

I am reminded of one other charitable figure in history, the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. He bequeathed PEACE to his disciples after his resurrection saying, “Peace be with you”. The full meaning of this phrase has puzzled me, what was Jesus really saying?

The legal aspect of peace with God is that we are reconciled to him, but the active aspect is that we now stand in a position of grace. His bequest of peace gives us ACCESS to all God’s goodness. We could even paraphrase the Lord’s words as ‘Prosperity be with you’.

Ref. John 20:19-26, Romans 5:1. NIV.

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No one! nothing can take the place of a father. God’s heart goes out to the fatherless, his very nature is that of a Father and he feels intensely the pain of a child that has lost their father.

If there is anything that is going to sustain us in our Christian lives it is the knowledge that we are a child of God. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives to influence and convince our spirit that we are his children and we can now personally call him Father.

When Jesus came into our world, he came to be an expression of God’s love. More than this he came as the Father; he was the full expression of God veiled in human form. When he spoke, it was the father speaking, when he did something, it was the father doing it. His claim to oneness with God upset the Jews, but it is the simple but powerful truth that can transform our lives.

The Bible says clearly that Jesus, that child born in Bethlehem is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. He is everything we could want God to be in our lives. Yet, often in life we can feel that God has left us. This is the time we should trust the Lord Jesus to be that father figure.

Ref. Isaiah 9:6 NIV.

Have you observed those tall palm trees as they stand firm in strong winds? Even after a cyclone they are still standing, though maybe somewhat battered. In life we come up against different points of view that challenge our own personal beliefs. At such times we need to stand our ground and maintain our faith.

Of course, we should appreciate and respect the fact that others will have attitudes different to our own. However, it is important to remember the basic tenant of our salvation. Namely, that we have eternal life through simply believing on God’s only Son.

The apostle Paul in writing to fledgling churches encouraged them to stand firm in their faith. There will always be new ideas to follow, and it is easy to waver in our convictions. When our faith is challenged, we should remind ourselves of what we believe.

Ref. John 3:16, 1 Cor. 16:13 NIV.