An open letter to a skeptic

(Author's name withheld by request)

Dear brother in Christ,

I have known you for all my life, and I have looked up to you all my life. As a child, you were one of my heroes that could save the day with your quick thinking and skills that allowed you to solve any problem presented to you. Your talents have produced great success in the company you have made, and you are excelling in all areas as you continue to grow. However, I grieve for you.

Although you grow in your company, you do not grow in faith. In fact, you yourself have declared that your faith is dead. I remember well the day you said that there is no point in thinking about the afterlife, because all we have is what is on earth. My heart broke.

You have turned toward earthly pleasures and away from God’s precious gift. You openly mocked those who believe God exists. You even refuse to talk about the idea of church. When I asked you what you live for, you said that you wanted to be remembered and to have a legacy after you die. This is foolishness.

Your drive for success has driven you to believe what the world has taught you, that your purpose is only for making yourself great. What happens when there are no more people to remember you? This legacy you strive for will not last. Only God, heaven, and hell are eternal. The Word says, "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:8).  I pray that the Spirit will turn you back to him.

First, the world made you forget about going to church. Then it made you want to forget about church, and finally it made you want to hate the church. Looking inward at yourself made you block out God’s call to you. Ultimately, you became proud.

Brother, you put yourself above many others. I don’t want to beat you over the head with the Bible, but I want to warn you.  Isaiah prophesied, "The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted--and they will be humbled" (Isaiah 2:12). God will not be merciful when that day comes.

Some of your relatives have shunned you for this. However, Jesus commands us, "I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Many may not be in contact with you, but they pray for you. They pray that you will return to God.  "In the same way," Jesus tells you, "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). Not only are your relatives hoping you will repent, but all of heaven is rooting for you. God will welcome you into his loving arms if you find your way back to him.

Every day that you continue to turn away from God, I mourn for you. I still think you are my brother and my hero. Even though I cannot battle your arguments with as much intelligence and knowledge as you, I know that someday you will be confronted with the truth, whether through repentance here or judgment at the end of our days. Hell is very real, but so is heaven. Of the two, I hope to find you in the right place.

Waiting on God

 by Cassey Davis

Imagine this. The sky is jet black, the wolves are howling, and the air is crisp. As you climb high into your deer stand, you shiver from the bone chilling breeze. Finally, you are all situated and ready for dawn to break. Once the sun rises and thaws your frozen fingers and toes, you gaze at the glowing forest around you and sit in awe of the beauty and wonder God has created. Yet, when the morning sun begins to fade and the dew begins to melt away, waiting becomes incredibly hard. Your mind begins to wander to the sounds around you; every crack of a stick makes your heart race until a squirrel jumps around the corner. Indeed, waiting for the prize trophy deer to saunter in front of your stand is no easy task.

While waiting for a deer to come by your stand proves to be a test of your patience, waiting on God’s timing can prove to be even more difficult. All too often we rely upon ourselves, instead of God, to answer our prayers of desperation ... such as yearning for a loved one to be healed of a terminal illness or for a beloved soldier to return from a deployment. Yet, when we struggle to rely upon God to come to our aid, are we forgetting who created us in his own image? Who loved us so much he sent his one and only Son to die for the entire world? So therefore, why do we struggle so much with waiting for God’s timing instead of our own? The answer is sin--the dirty, rotten, filthy sin we daily fight through but is washed away by the blood of the Lamb. Daily we struggle with waiting on earthly things, such as waiting in traffic or waiting for an important phone call.  But everything we wait for here on this earth with someday soon be forgotten in the blissfulness of heaven.

The Holy Spirit, who burns a fire within us, leads our hearts to rely upon God’s timing instead of our own, reminding us: "If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently" (Romans 8:25). Being patient can seem an impossible task; yet if we place our confidence in Christ, he will surely give us the desires of our heart, according to his timing. So, when you are waiting--maybe not so patiently--remember God’s timing is perfect.  He will answer as he sees fit so answer you, and he will do so when the timing is just right.

Prayer:

            Dear Heavenly Father, we often become fidgety and impatient when it seems like we’ve been waiting awhile. Remind us that your timing is perfect and that you will provide for us when the timing is right. Guide us, Lord, as we struggle with being patient in our daily lives. Turn our hearts and minds back to your Word, where you teach us that when we hope for something, you give is to us when and if you see fit. Grant us patience, oh Lord, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Faith in God's timing

by Lauren Ewings

    Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

- Psalm 27:14

I used to consider myself a very impatient person. I would rush to finish others' stories for them. Waiting in a line for a ride at an amusement park was absolute torture. Detailed storytellers were my worst nightmare.

Many times I found myself impatiently questioning God’s plan for me.

“This is not what I pictured my life to be like right now.” This is a phrase I oftentimes found myself thinking, while selfishly praying for companionship and becoming frustrated when it seemed like God wasn't listening or answering. I know that sometimes my sinful expectations of prayer have been that God will answer quickly and he will answer the way I expect him to.

Many times during my early years of college, I expected the perfect man to be placed in my life, thinking, "God, don’t you know how happy this would make me? Don’t you understand that I don’t want to be single anymore?” My selfish prayers were heard ... and although I didn’t see it at the time, they were answered as well. God did not answer with an immediate yes as I had hoped. Instead he answered with “not right now.”

Not until my senior year did I finally recognize God’s answer to my prayer. I was student teaching, living independently, miles away from many of my friends and my family, and things were okay. I discovered that going out by myself was enjoyable. I was able to explore the city without feeling the need to be in constant contact with others. I dug deeper into God’s Word and found comfort in his love.

A psalm of David (Psalm 27) reminds us to wait for the LORD, to trust in his plan for our lives, to have faith that he is always working for our good. Faith in God means faith in his timing. It may not always be easy to accept, but know that your prayer is not going unanswered. God is working for your good.

Prayer: Dear God, please help us remember to be patient. Help us remember that you hear our prayer, and that you always answer. Give us strength and comfort, and remind us of your everlasting love while we wait for you. Amen.