God

Give thanks for friends Even during the appearance of great danger in the world, it is still a very wonderful time to take inventory of the gifts that have been given us throughout our lives. The more Thanksgivings and Christmases I experience, the more I realize that for me the greatest gift of all is my friendships. The precious hours we spend together, whether in school, church, home or at work, are so often overlooked as we search for "something" outside of our relationships that we think will bring us happiness.

Have you ever experienced the divine protection of God? Most of us as Christians would acknowledge that we have, at one time or another. Can you look back on a specific moment where you were in physical danger and you prayed and God intervened? Maybe it wasn't a miracle, but you knew God had answered prayer and protected you. I recall one such event. It was before I was married. I was driving home from the beach with a girlfriend from church. We had spent the evening at Manhattan Beach having dinner.

The Rev. Stan Howse writes how powerfully he was moved by the "A Beautiful Mind" movie sentiment that "something extraordinary can happen in this world!" I would like to point out that something extraordinary has already happened in the world, some 2,000 years ago. God stepped out of eternity and came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. And while anyone can claim he is something great, even God Himself, this Jesus of Nazareth, authenticated His claim by no less than rising from the dead!

Daniel Henderson, a Christian pastor in Atlanta, believes many faithful people still ?don?t know how to pray effectively,? according to a recent article on CNN.com. He says most Christians pray during a crisis or pray a grocery list, ?making God a lifeline of last resort.? What do you believe is the proper way to pray without making it seem as if you?re using God as a ?lifeline of last resort?? How do you teach your faithful on effective ways of prayer? ? Henderson is right.

As I write, I just finished helping one of my daughters master her multiplication (I pray!), did several loads of laundry, cleaned up after another daughter with the stomach flu, and cleaned the stove after my sick son asked for soup. In the middle of the storm, I tried to sneak moments of calm to call back a few patients I needed to reschedule. I know we can all relate to days like these whether we have children or not. As I reflect on the day, for some reason I say it was “a good day.” It certainly was not perfect.

The book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament is an interesting study. It details the account of Nehemiah's journey to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall that had been destroyed there. There was a Jewish remnant that had survived the attack of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar and had been exiled to Babylon. When Cyrus came into power as King of Persia, his heart was moved to build a temple for God at Jerusalem. He allowed any exile who felt led to go up to Jerusalem and assist (II Chronicles 36)

In the course of our life, we undergo many seasons. There are periods of growth, change, pain and pleasure. A Scripture that refers to this is, “There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We can reflect upon these moments in our life — striving for autonomy as an adolescent, finding a mate, the birth of a child, retirement, the death of a parent. Living is filled with joy and sorrow, contentment and anxiety.