Logical Faith

"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love." These words played on the radio as I folded laundry on a Sunday afternoon. I like doing laundry on Sundays. This phrase really stood out to me as I listened to the song. Sometimes my faith is strong and sometimes it's weak. I'm thankful the object of my faith never changes. I am so easily distracted and wander away from the One who loves me most. He gives me a free will and watches as I drift away. It must hurt Him deeply, though, He always smiles and comes after me. I know it's foolish, but sometimes it bothers me that I can't understand how God can hear my prayers. I can believe in creation, but not prayer? Whenever I reach these low points in my life I reach for the biographies of Jesus. I've been reading Matthew lately. There was a passage where Jesus said something to a group of people, then the Bible says He knew their thoughts and then He responded verbally to them. That's a comfort to me. I know I can't understand everything about God, but reading about how Jesus knew their thoughts reassured me that He does hear my prayers. It's also an encouragement that He knows my thoughts because there is freedom in honesty. We can't say, "Sure God loves me but He doesn't know what I was just thinking." He doesn't allow us the opportunity to use those excuses. There is no deception between us and God, only honesty which is freedom. There's just something about reading of His life on earth and seeing the way He interacted with those around Him, that just makes Him more real to me and causes my heart to long to be with Him more. I just finished reading a book called "A Higher Court". It's about a man who is on a jury that listens to compelling evidence for both sides of the argument of whether or not God exists. I think all of us at various points in our lives are faced with that decision. The more I know about God the more I want to know Him. 1 John 4:19-"Draw nigh unto me as I draw nigh unto you."

I'm also encouraged by all the historical evidence supporting the authenticity of the biographies of Jesus. Most of the New Testament books were written close to the actual events by eye witnesses. Most of the disciples died for their beliefs. They wouldn't have given their lives for something they knew was false. There are historical, non Christian writings that mention people who were key characters in the Bible. It's not just faith and it's not just logic, it's both. Christianity is not blind faith, it goes so much deeper than mere rote recitation.

"Here's my heart,O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."