Getting It?

How did you come to faith? For some it is a long, slow, imperceptible process which began as far back as they can remember; there never was a time when they did not believe in God. For others it was an adolescent crisis, even their response to peer-group pressure. There are so many ways. I was recently speaking with a middle-aged man, who became a Christian because God answered his prayer to help him with his depression. The next day, as he was having a shower, he realized it had “just gone away,” so he recognized God’s work in his life and became a Christian.

So, according to Jesus, it has always been. The Queen of Sheba arranged a royal tour to discover the wisdom of Solomon, and was welcomed, as befitted her station, into Solomon’s royal court. It was a splendid occasion. The citizens of Nineveh didn’t ask for it, but they certainly got it! Jonah, reluctantly, traveled a rather disastrous route to their capital city. He uttered not welcoming and wise words, but threats as though from God: repent or else. What unites these very different journeys is that both the Queen of Sheba and the citizens of Nineveh recognized reality when they found it–and it changed their lives.

Sometimes, as with the people Jesus was addressing, we see but do not discern, we hear but do not understand. It is not how we encounter God or where or when, but that when we do encounter him, we do not allow either familiarity or our own comfort to blind us to him. If we do, then what we think of as the light of reason or common sense will keep us from the truth. Then we are left drowning in our own darkness!

When was the last time you took a significant risk for God, e.g. financially, challenging a wrong situation at work, or befriending someone with deep personal or social needs?