Pray It Through - Changing God's Mind?

I had a very theologically stimulating conversation with a close friend the other night. We were discussing the purpose of prayer and its results. The concept of “changing God’s mind” was brought forth. Through study of some books by prestigious theologians, he was leaning toward the side that says “prayer can actually change God’s mind and change world events.” At the beginning of the conversation, my reply was that prayer absolutely changes world events—but does that take place because God truly changed His mind or because we took the action that allowed the realization of His greatest will, instead of disobedience? I did not know the answer to these questions, and I still may not, but I feel that my understanding has grown towards the revelation of these answers and I would like to encourage you to engage in your own Spirit-led thoughts as you consider mine below.

“God changed His mind” In the Bible

Consider Moses. We read the following in Exodus 32:19-14, in response to the Israelites' construction of the golden calf, an offense punishable by death:

“'I have seen these people,’ the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “O LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. ¹³ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” (NIV)

The word “relent” in verse 14 is translated in a minority of English texts as “changed His mind.” The Hebrew word here is “nacham,” in the Niphal tense, which blueletterbible.com defines as follows:

נָחַם (nacham)

1) to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted

a) (Niphal)

1) to be sorry, be moved to pity, have compassion

2) to be sorry, rue, suffer grief, repent

3) to comfort oneself, be comforted

4) to comfort oneself, ease oneself

(Note: When you read “changed His mind” in the NLT, NAS, or other version, “nacham” is likely the original language.)

So we see that God was moved to compassion by Moses’ intercession and it did absolutely change what would have occurred, had the intercession not taken place. But did God’s mind change, or was His preferred will for Moses to step up as an intercessor fulfilled by Moses’ prayer? Perhaps the jury is still out in this discussion, but I find the explanation offered in the previous sentences to line up much more harmoniously with the rest of the Bible than the belief that God actually did any changing of His mind, at least in the way that we experience the changing of our own minds—which is to be persuaded unto different thought or action. Was God persuaded here or had He already willed this and honored a prayer within His will?

Practical Importance of the Matter

As my conversation with my friend continued, we began to realize a few things: that our minds were not entirely made up and were open to further “proof” that may be brought forth, that in this moment we differed in our opinions, and most importantly that we absolutely agreed upon the following things: Regardless of whether God is actually changing His mind, it doesn’t alter the fact that prayer works—things in this world change because of and in response to our prayers. The overarching point became less about why God honors prayer (changing His mind or otherwise) but that the answer to that question does not dictate whether or not I pray—we pray because of the following:

1. It brings me closer to God in a loving relationship, and that would be sufficient enough reason to pray even if it availed no impact on the world.

2. When we pray, it does change things.

Addressing point #2 above: When we pray, it does change things.

However, let me very quickly point out that I don’t believe a correct attitude in prayer is to convince God of anything, or to persuade Him. This is hard to grasp because in our interaction with humans, when we speak passionately about something, we perceive the opportunity to spread our point of view, whether by enlightenment, argument, conviction, or otherwise. Even those of us who are the least logical-minded, when we converse, we understand the necessity of satisfying another individual with our words such that our point of view or our desires are accepted and even chosen. So when we pray to a sovereign, holy, all-powerful God, we tend to approach Him in the same way. He understands that—He made us. Nevertheless, do you really want to project your imperfect thoughts and plans onto a perfect God such that they come to fruition? Any thoughts that we have are either in error, whether completely or just slightly, or they are born of God and are perfect. Therefore, we cannot convince Him or bring a plan to Him that is any better than the one He already prefers. We can only come in agreement, be strengthened in our concurrence, and be empowered to go and live out the purpose that God prefers. In that moment, we have taken part in an important transaction that God allows through free-will…and life events change.

Human Observation and Understanding of Cause and Effect

To illustrate our human view of prayer and events versus God’s perspective, consider a car on the street of a highly populated city. We have the view of the driver of the car. We see the immediate landscape in front of us and have a general sense of where we might like to go and how it might be best to get there. God, however, is above the city in something such as a blimp, seeing your very car, where He desires you to go, and the best way to get there. We often go long periods trying to navigate on our own intuition, following the same mistakes of men before us and around us from whom we have learned worldly wisdom. One day, we realize we have a GPS, or a phone line to the overhead blimp (prayer). We ask the GPS or blimp (God) to help us with the direction or to get to a specific destination. What we observe is that our asking led to a change: turn here, go there, the light turned green or another red light. Even when we recognize His hand guiding us, we might be tempted to say in our limited point of view that our prayer actually changed those things and even changed the mind of God. But in reality, God already saw all and knew all, and He would not have guided you in a way that was not within His will. Therefore, we were right that our prayers changed things—we received the right direction as a result of contacting Him. But we were probably wrong in thinking that our prayer actually changed the mind of God—instead, it merely allowed us to interact with God such that His desires were fulfilled, in a way that they weren’t fulfilled apart from our prayer. How important that prayer was! Even if in the beginning we were asking to go 180 degrees opposite of His will. Because when we began to realize the general direction He was guiding us and we continued to pray for direction and for change, we began to walk within His will. None of this would have happened without the prayer.

So prayer is absolutely necessary and vital to God’s will, but it does not change it. I encourage and implore you: pray any matter on your heart to God continually until your heart has been changed or the thing comes to fruition, being open to either, having faith in God and His perfect love. In either case, through prayer, God’s will has been realized.

The Product of Free-Will

Another amazing part of this discussion is the fact that we get to take part in such things and are given free-will. Free-will allows us to make choices. If we have the ability to choose God, then we have the ability to reject Him. There is not one possibility without the other. The possibility of rejecting God opens the door to the amazing relationship of choosing Him—and this is love (agape)! God is sovereign and ruler of all. And in that sovereignty, He by all means has the right to make the choice to limit His control and allow free-will. Please do not misinterpret my words and call this a heresy. This makes God no less sovereign—in fact, it puts an exclamation point on His sovereignty, coupled with His patience and love—that He would purposefully step back ever so slightly from controlling all decisions and actions at all times, such that we would have the capacity to make choices…and in that, have the capacity to love. Otherwise, we are just robots. But since God is love (1 John 4:8), then God is a choice-maker. And by making us in His image, He has made us choice-makers capable of love. This is His design and He looks at this creation and calls it good (Gen 1:31).

So when the world hangs in the balance—our individual worlds or the entire earth—consider prayer. Pray the matter through to completion, knowing that your prayer does matter. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b). This is because it aligns us with God. This is because it changes our hearts. This is because God willingly gives us this power of Himself to choose and make changes in this world. This is because the angels respond to the word of God and the righteous prayers of His saints. This is because of the power and value God gives an intercessor.

God’s Design: Intercessor

Isaiah 59:15b-16: “Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

God has an almost peculiar affinity to intercession. We read in Isaiah that God “wondered that there was no intercessor” to plead the case of the terribly sinful Israelites, such that they might be spared the punishment and wrath of God. If the presence of an intercessor didn’t matter, the role would not have been mentioned. In the example of Moses and his prayers (discussions with God), he was the sole intercessor and God honored that.

To God and to us, an intercessor means everything. This is because the ultimate prophecy of Isaiah 59 is Jesus Christ as the ultimate intercessor to our Father in Heaven, such that we might be spared His wrath and instead receive eternal life (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25, 1 John 2:1). The reason that John 3:16 is true—that through the love of God and by belief in Jesus we can be spared eternal death and instead have eternal life—is because when we call on Jesus for who He is, He intercedes to the Father on our behalf. In doing so, we are imparted the Holy Spirit, who cries out “Abba, Father” for us (Gal 4:6-7). If instead in the last day, Jesus says, “Depart from me, I never knew you,” we are damned because of our sin and the lack of righteous intercession (Matt 7:21-23).

So we see that a great component of the power of prayer is God’s value of intercession. In intercession, we agree with Christ for simultaneous grace and justice—a favorable outcome for us through Christ alone—and He responds in a very real way. He responds in eternally saving those interceded for, and He even responds by changing physical circumstances in the lives of those for whom intercession has been made. All within His will, of course. If in my human emotion of anger, I was so zealous to call fire from Heaven down upon the man who just cut me off on the highway, I highly doubt that God would honor that request. If God is pursuing that driver to be His child, then I just prayed outside His will and the Holy Spirit is grieved by that disharmony (Eph 4:30-32). But if instead I pray in sincerity that my co-worker who denies Christ would be saved by faith, and I pray in fervent faith, I know that the Lord will honor that prayer. Simply because God responds to holy intercession, none greater than Christ Jesus.

Conclusions

Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that “God changes His mind,” it becomes a little less relevant and doesn’t change these facts: Prayer does change specific physical things on this earth that are within God’s will. These physical things are changed because of their spiritual impact. Why this is true can likely be summed up by God’s gift of free-will and our capacity to choose and love Him, as well as each other. We should pray to seek God’s face (intimacy, seeking Him for Him alone) and not just His hands, and in a deep relationship, that would be enough. But beyond that, God desires that we are empowered and approach Him with confidence, knowing that He responds to our prayers and changes the world through us for His glory. I challenge you therefore, to approach prayer with the following motives:

1. Seeking God’s face (intimate relationship of knowing Him for the sake of knowing Him alone)

2. As a natural outflow of your love for Him

3. As an intercessor for your fellow man and God’s glory

4. As a subordinate to a sovereign God who has given you this responsibility and privilege

5. To test your desires and be transformed

6. To alter the world forever, making change for God’s preferred will and glory

What would the world look like if we all stepped up with these attitudes in sincere prayer? I don’t know fully, but I do know that it would look differently, for the better, and for God’s glory. I’m making a recommitment to prayer with full confidence of God’s power through it. I’m making a recommitment to prayer to bask in the full loving relationship with a loving God. Will you join me, be changed for good forever, and change this world for good forever? It is my prayer that you do. Amen.

Guest Post - Re: Stephen Hawking "Afterlife is a fairy story"

One of my good friends emailed an online article to several of us the other day. It was an interview with Stephen Hawking, a world renowned scientist. Not surprisingly, in the article Hawking attempts to use science and logic to defy the existence of any god and therefore any afterlife. His arguments are not new, though they still get under the skin of many Christians. The amazing irony is that a man of great science, logical thought, and intelligence such as Hawking makes some very obvious logical flaws in his sweeping statements against any existence of God or afterlife. You can read the article in its entirety here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110516/us_yblog_thelookout/stephen-hawking-says-afterlife-is-a-fairy-story

In the end, without some faith, there is no belief in God. Good luck proving Him or fully comprehending Him. In fact, stating that there is not enough proof or that it is inconceivable is no proof at all. If God is beyond us—He created us—then how can we hope to tie a nice bow around who He is in our limited ability to understand? The amazing thought of a personal relationship with a big, all-knowing, perfect God is hard to accept or even grasp fully. But our inability to fully comprehend it is in no way proof for or against, contrary to Hawking’s logic. If God's “ways are higher” and His “thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9), then how could we expect to be able to fully comprehend Him? So that argument does nothing. Hawking or others might reply, “Well, how convenient. Explaining the impossible with an ‘incomprehensible God’ cop-out.” That response sounds clever and logical, but given what God claims to be and what we know Him to be (see Isaiah reference above), it is an irrelevant argument. I would challenge Hawking to choose something more solid and substantial. (Of course, he would probably come up with something, however inadequate, as there is no end to this banter back and forth from either side…but if we have a hard time proving God with human logic, we will certainly have a harder time proving His non-existence…we get smug in our logic, but when you break it down, we haven’t proven His non-existence whatsoever. And for those of us who know Him, that is no surprise. :-)

For more thoughts on science and religion and how they fit together, see the following post: The Pursuit of Happiness – Science, Logic, and Love

One of my good friends wrote back the following reply to the Hawking article. I really enjoyed his thoughts, so I have brought it to you as this month's guest post:

These kind of articles are not unusual for our society. We have often spoken about how the media has used Christianity for an amusing punching bag whether it is in movies, TV, or radio. There are many who are so deep into scientific research, that for them matters of fact are the goal rather than matters of faith. Human history has already experienced this though: think of how many religions and beliefs in the past have been proven untrue (Mount Olympus being the easiest example). It is understandable for people to be skeptical and even Paul realized the implications if Christianity was untrue: "and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith is also vain." 1 Corinthians 15:14.

While I have no desire to go toe-to-toe with Stephen Hawking, there are some observations I have on this article.

"But in 2010, Hawking told Diane Sawyer that "science will win" in a battle with religion 'because it works.'"

Scientists, engineers, and others are driven by a desire to understand what appears to be not understandable. Science is something we can comprehend, test, and rely on to return the same result... most of the time. God is unknowable and far beyond us. How many times have we been told, "You're trying to put God in a box." Why does grace work? Because of God, yet we have done nothing to deserve it. To one such as Hawking, this doesn't "work", yet we praise God because of this "not working out." If it did "work", then we would be condemned.

"What could define God [is a conception of divinity] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible."

He is more than Mother Nature and Father Time combined into one. But if our Bible is true, than we see in Genesis that God started the relationship, not Adam. Hawking is right though: we are insignificant in our own perspective of the cosmos, making God much more worthy to be praised.

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist."

And who authored and signed the bill of gravity into law? "Matter can neither be created nor destroyed," correct? Then why does anything exist at all? Hawking would argue that just because an answer has not been discovered yet does not mean there is no explanation. True, just because I do not understand that one light in the sky is a star 93 million miles away and another orbits our planet does not make it unexplainable eventually. In the vastness of the universe (infinite), if you wanted to do a statistical probability of any fraction, then our world would by chance have to happen sometime. But with all we can see around us, if spontaneous creation is true, then I will also believe in spontaneous human combustion as my brain will have exploded. Pastor Gregg said it well once, "A random chance of creation takes more faith than God's deliberate creation."

"'We should seek the greatest value of our action,' Hawking told the paper."

And what are our greatest actions of value? Praising God, loving one another, going out and telling others.

When we get together again, we should pray for the lost, those striving to find something greater than themselves, and those who do not realize the joy and hope that we share.

Amen!

Relationship with God - Church in the Park Message

I had the pure joy and privilege of speaking the message at Church in the Park in Houston, TX this weekend. This ministry seeks to bring Christ to the homeless in downtown Houston, providing worship music, a Bible-based message, and breakfast for all who attend. It is held outdoors in a park right off of downtown.

The experience was amazing. Of course, being given the honor of speaking a sermon was very exciting, but the one-on-one conversations and prayers were most enjoyable. You can listen to the 20-min message by watching the video below. The topic is Relationship with God, with a focus on being children, servants, and friends with God. The Prodigal Son is studied as an example of this relationship. I hope the Lord uses it for good in your life this very day:

(Follow-up post about an amazing story of God working behind the scenes and through Church in the Park that morning: "My Work" vs. the Holy Spirit)

The Power of Redemption - Part 2 - Rejecting Complacency

Excerpt from "The Power of Redemption - Part 1" -

"Redemption is the reclaiming as good, something that was bad. It is a reversal in esteem...

...Christ is our Savior first, and also our Redeemer. This means that once we have sinned and departed from His path, He not only saves us from Hell, but He restores us to right relationship with Him. The paths our lives take from that moment onward suddenly have purpose that they didn’t have without Him. And remarkably, the consequences that flow from our now blotted out sins become the very things that glorify God...

...When I trace it all back, every cause and effect as seen by the human eye, I marvel at the power of an amazing attribute of our God—Redeemer. Only by His redeeming power could my life be this rich, this joyous. Only by His redeeming power could my relationship with Him be stronger and fuller. Only by His redeeming power do I now call this my “plan A life!” Not that sin was the right approach—it caused years of pain!—but God is both sovereign and redeeming for those who love Him. Through Christ and Christ alone do I look back with thankfulness, live in present joy, and look forward with eagerness to a life held in the power of redemption." (read full post)

I am aware that some will respond to the news of redemption in the following way: “Well, then what do I care if I sin—it brings glory to God anyway. I might sin all the more so that God can be glorified even more. It sounds like you’re saying that it doesn’t matter if I sin or not.” Paul dealt with this attitude in Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Look at your thoughts! Do you respond to this realization of redemption by justifying your own sins? Where is your pursuit of righteousness, where is your pursuit of a God who is pursuing you? Where is your desire to be His pleasing servant? Where is your right relationship with Him? Where is your love of God who loved enough to send His Son to die on our behalf while we were still sinners? (Rom 5:8) The response of a person in relationship with Jesus to the marvel of redemption is pure thanksgiving and even greater resolve to follow Him closer than ever…not to accept sinning…but to marvel at our sinful pasts, yet redeemed presents, and look forward to never departing from our Savior and God again, knowing that if we do fall, He will redeem us…but we never want to be separated from Him again.

If God can redeem us after we’ve sinned, how much more will we be squarely in His love, delight Him, and be delighted by Him if we remain in Him and refuse to sin?! If redeemed life with Christ is this good, then why ever willingly leave Him again? A child of God has the comfort that he is never beyond the grasp of his Savior and Redeemer, so he no longer fears eternal death from sin. But we should not be complacent because of this knowledge—we should be even more resolved to refrain from sin, such that the pain and sorrow in the midst of redemption must not be suffered by the sinner or God Himself.

Have you seen the effects of sin in your life? Let’s not downplay it—there are terrible effects of our sin. I suspect that you know these effects as well as I do. The grieving that comes in the wake of our sin is expected and is even right and holy, for the Holy Spirit is grieved by our rebellion (Eph 4:30). We are in tune with God when we grieve our sin. That MUST happen—it is the natural consequence in the life of a child of God who as sinned. Thoughts of redemption should never ease the grieving of our sin immediately upon conviction—grieving of the sin itself, not grieving our circumstances, a key difference. Grieve your sin until you can produce no more tears…no grief can sufficiently capture the terror and plight of a human separated from God by sin. But on the other side of it, when God heals your heart and the pain begins to subside, I encourage you to step boldly into the life of redemption. Step up into your place as the redeemed child of God. Look at your circumstances and your new life path and no longer lament it as your doomed or fated path as a consequence of sin—but look at it with new eyes—eyes that see God’s power. God’s power that overcomes the sins of man and makes your new circumstances the things that bring Him glory and you joy. I pray that wherever you are, you come to Jesus right now. If you have just realized your sin, I pray that you ask for Him and His Spirit convicts you of sin, such that your mourn. Because on the other side of that mourning is a renewed relationship with a God who is called Our Healer.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matt 5:4)

“God heals the brokenhearted.” (Psalm 147:3)

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

It sounds morbid and cruel to wish mourning upon someone, but realize that if we don’t mourn and are not heartbroken, then we will not be comforted and healed. Once you experience His healing and comfort, I pray that you come to the full knowledge of a redeeming God and begin to marvel at the joy that He places in you. I pray that you begin to marvel at how He takes a circumstance once seen as bad and makes it so glorious for His namesake. I pray that this deepens your love and thanksgiving for your loving God. Forever. Amen.

The Power of Redemption - Part 1

When is the last time that you looked at your life and were overwhelmed by the following attribute of God: Redeemer.

Redemption is the reclaiming as good, something that was bad. It is a reversal in esteem. We watch an athlete make a mistake that might cost the team the game, then later we see the same athlete make a play that wins the game for the team and we say, “He redeemed himself!” Yes he did. But what about the times when we just can’t redeem ourselves? What if the game was already over…the deal sealed…helpless to change the outcome ourselves? This is our plight as sinners, for our sinfulness, no matter how infrequent or distant past, has sealed our fates to be eternally separated from God (likely, it is more frequent and not-so distant past). That is, until God made a way through His Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, redemption is in the center of our relationship as sinners with a holy God.

Redemption is more than just forgiveness of sins. It’s more than being saved. It starts there but doesn’t finish there—what follows salvation and forgiveness of sins makes redemption doubly powerful. Think of it—the very same human, the same life, even the very consequences of sin—being made the very things that glorify God and bring joy to the one who was once downtrodden and separated from God by that sin. Not that sin is to be glorified as the cause to the observed effect: glory to God and joy in the heart of the sinner in a life-path once guided by the consequence of sin. No, if it stopped with sin as the only cause to the observed effect, then the end result would be Hell and it would feel as though the life that followed sin’s consequences was Hell creeping into the sinner’s earthly life. This is the life of the unrepentant sinner apart from God.

Upon sinning, our lives immediately change. We fall out of God’s preferred will, which was such splendid intimate relationship with Him, free from the smallest spot of sin. If upon sinning we were to fall to a lesser path and live the life of consequences without the element of redemption entering in, our lives would be an ever-increasing fall into despair and departure from God’s good plans for our lives. But when the same sinner confesses Jesus Christ as their Savior, a truly remarkable thing happens.

Christ is our Savior first, and also our Redeemer. This means that once we have sinned and departed from His path, He not only saves us from Hell, but He restores us to right relationship with Him. The paths our lives take from that moment onward suddenly have purpose that they didn’t have without Him. And remarkably, the consequences that flow from our now blotted out sins become the very things that glorify God.

Here is a personal example. I was once involved in a long-term relationship that we expected to result in marriage. Somewhere in the middle we strayed and the poison of sin in its various forms choked righteous pursuit of God out. The relationship ended with two emotionally shaken people, left in the wake of sinful, self-centered attitudes of children of God who forgot what it was to be set apart for His purpose. If you’ve ever been a part of a relationship that ended because of the mistreatment of each other, you know the feeling of guilt. And if you are a child of God, then the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin and you will begin to see that you are suffering the consequences in your emotionally shaken state. At this point you may despair of “what could have been, if I’d only followed God!” Indeed. But here is where God’s redemption casts a new hue on the entire portrait of our lives.

(Note on relationships: if you have stopped pursuing God together as #1, there is a serious problem in your relationship. Regardless of what wonderful thing is your focus, even if it is perceived as godly--missions, leadership, family, etc--if pursuit of God falls from your #1 purpose in and of itself, a rift is forming between you and God. I encourage you to recognize it and stop it. For the sake of your earthly relationships, sure, but even more for your relationship with Christ.)

In this example, I expected to be married some years ago. The relationship ended as we lost focus on God, and I later saw the error of my ways. I thought, “now I’m on the plan B path…the aftermath…the life of consequences of sin.” I knew that Jesus was my Savior and that was a comfort. But what about the specifics of my life to come? How could I live, knowing that because of my sin, I forfeited God’s first chosen plan for my life? Well, first of all, I can’t actually make that claim—what God’s chosen plan for my life was or is specifically—but in that moment, this was my feeling (and you may have felt the same way before).

Fast forward 3 years. As a single adult, several opportunities have come my way that could have only happened in the life of singleness. I was introduced to a church small group for singles, of which I later became the leader for 1.5 years—a time of amazing relationship building with both my group members and my Savior. Through one member, I was introduced to another church and their singles ministry, where I was introduced to a mission organization that I went to India with. Through this organization, I have found a new passion and role in God’s kingdom to help rescue, protect, and empower vulnerable children exposed to human trafficking. Additionally, I was given the opportunity to continue to help this organization that brings Christ to a nation that is only 3% Christian (As Our Own, see also blog label "As Our Own"). Furthermore, I now have an amazing network of single men and women that I love, and God continues to use me right where I am…in this “plan B life”…a life that I love and wouldn’t trade for my once perceived “plan A life.” In fact, if these events hadn’t happened, this entire blog probably wouldn’t exist and you wouldn't be reading this—or at least the posts would be very much different. When I trace it all back, every cause and effect as seen by the human eye, I marvel at the power of an amazing attribute of our God—Redeemer. Only by His redeeming power could my life be this rich, this joyous. Only by His redeeming power could my relationship with Him be stronger and fuller. Only by His redeeming power do I now call this my “plan A life!” Not that sin was the right approach—it caused years of pain!—but God is both sovereign and redeeming for those who love Him. Through Christ and Christ alone do I look back with thankfulness, live in present joy, and look forward with eagerness to a life held in the power of redemption. So can you. I pray that you call on Jesus, embrace Him, and experience Him in the same way. Amen.

(continued in "The Power of Redemption - Part 2 - Rejecting Complacency")