I've always been taught that God listens to my prayers, and that the purpose of prayer (primarily) is to worship Him. I use the male gender here to refer to that God because He is the God I was raised with. However, I now believe that the gender of God, and the very idea of gender in terms of God, is arguable. I will leave that discussion for another day. Anyway, I am aware of other purposes for prayer, including (without cracking open my Bible, the following): intercession (prayer of behalf of others), supplication (a request that a need be supplied), confession (the admission of sin and request for forgiveness), fortification (a request for strength to face certain circumstances), and rededication (a renewal of one's spiritual commitment). I can think of other reasons but I'm not sure which "-ion" word would work here: a request for blessings on an event or union, for example, or a request for healing. My point in making this list is to show that God wants and expects my prayers. The least he expects is my praise. I have been taught, however, that he does not need my prayers. He wants a relationship, but he does not need one. Alternatively, I find that Christians often emphasize that salvation (a prayer for which I left off my earlier list) is about a relationship with Jesus Christ. Doesn't a relationship imply that two partners relate to each other? Even assuming that one party is superior to the other --- that one is subordinate, surely the greater one is aware that the lesser one has the same feelings, aspirations, sufferings, etc. that the other has faced. (Does God suffer?) Christ did.
I am making my way, slowly, to my main point, which is that I don't agree with everything God is supposed to have done and said (according to the Bible). I think some of those Old Testament acts apparently ordered by God were evil, (example: the destruction of entire cities, including women and children) and it is this that gives me pause. I will come back to this. My time for writing is up.
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Tamara,
I'm sorry you think that way about God and the Old Testament. I think you are uninformed and when we are uninformed we draw our own conclusions based on limited knowledge, limited spiritual insight (King James Version; Isaiah 55:8-9), and incorrect understanding of a Biblical text. We cannot read the bible and draw "natural" conclusions without missing the whole point of the bible and incorporating our own ideologies.
Of course, it is "evil" to kill women and children, but if you read the Old Testament closely, you will notice that God is “destroying” the evil that was present among our ancestors, that is whey in Genesis (King James Version; Genesis 6:5-17)God brought the flood (with Noah) to refurbish the earth and rid us of evil. Furthermore, God is the ULTIMATE and He decides what is "evil" and what is not (KJV; Isaiah 55:11), not you, me, or anyone else (despite what "we" think is unfair or "evil" as you put it).
The problem with human beings is that they attempt to utilize the natural world and the things they think they understand to the bible and the ways of God. That is why God attempted to make his power known to the Israelites when he stated "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways..."(KJV; Isaiah 55:8-9). They were so arrogant that they thought they could intellectualize His power.
Most importantly, many of the things that occurred in the Old Testament are further understood upon close inspection of the New Testament.
We cannot take the bible and divide it into what we would like it to be (KJV; Matthew 12:30), we are HIS creation, He is not ours, "the servant is not greater than his lord" (KJV; John 15:20). If we are not careful, we can allow arrogance, pride, ignorance, and lack of correct knowledge to prevent us from understanding the truth in its entirety.
The reality is this: We cannot accept part of the bible and disregard the other. That's like saying I love God but not Jesus, or I love Jesus but not God. They are ONE (KJV; John 14:23-24). The bible is the result of divine inspiration and it is significant from the beginning to the end (II Timothy 3:16-17). You will only be able to appreciate this once you locate the bible’s authenticity.
One of the things I think God and His son (Jesus Christ) would want all who claim to believe in Him to remember is not to follow after the tradition of the Pharisees and Gentiles who created their own religion and rejected what Jesus did because they adopted their own guidelines by taking SOME things from God and ignoring the other things (see Matthew-John). If you read about the Pharisees, you will see exactly what I mean and how very displeased Jesus was with this ungodly form of righteousness (Matthew 23:13-17).
If we go to God in humbleness, asking Him in all honesty for the TRUTH of His word, He will do just that in the perfect timing (Matthew 23:12).
Very best to you,
Dr.T
Tamara,
I'm sorry you think that way about God and the Old Testament. I think you are uninformed and when we are uninformed we draw our own conclusions based on limited knowledge, limited spiritual insight (King James Version; Isaiah 55:8-9), and incorrect understanding of a Biblical text. We cannot read the bible and draw "natural" conclusions without missing the whole point of the bible and incorporating our own ideologies.
Of course, it is "evil" to kill women and children, but if you read the Old Testament closely, you will notice that God is “destroying” the evil that was present among our ancestors, that is whey in Genesis (King James Version; Genesis 6:5-17)God brought the flood (with Noah) to refurbish the earth and rid us of evil. Furthermore, God is the ULTIMATE and He decides what is "evil" and what is not (KJV; Isaiah 55:11), not you, me, or anyone else (despite what "we" think is unfair or "evil" as you put it).
The problem with human beings is that they attempt to utilize the natural world and the things they think they understand to the bible and the ways of God. That is why God attempted to make his power known to the Israelites when he stated "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways..."(KJV; Isaiah 55:8-9). They were so arrogant that they thought they could intellectualize His power.
Most importantly, many of the things that occurred in the Old Testament are further understood upon close inspection of the New Testament.
We cannot take the bible and divide it into what we would like it to be (KJV; Matthew 12:30), we are HIS creation, He is not ours, "the servant is not greater than his lord" (KJV; John 15:20). If we are not careful, we can allow arrogance, pride, ignorance, and lack of correct knowledge to prevent us from understanding the truth in its entirety.
The reality is this: We cannot accept part of the bible and disregard the other. That's like saying I love God but not Jesus, or I love Jesus but not God. They are ONE (KJV; John 14:23-24). The bible is the result of divine inspiration and it is significant from the beginning to the end (II Timothy 3:16-17). You will only be able to appreciate this once you locate the bible’s authenticity.
One of the things I think God and His son (Jesus Christ) would want all who claim to believe in Him to remember is not to follow after the tradition of the Pharisees and Gentiles who created their own religion and rejected what Jesus did because they adopted their own guidelines by taking SOME things from God and ignoring the other things (see Matthew-John). If you read about the Pharisees, you will see exactly what I mean and how very displeased Jesus was with this ungodly form of righteousness (Matthew 23:13-17).
If we go to God in humbleness, asking Him in all honesty for the TRUTH of His word, He will do just that in the perfect timing (Matthew 23:12).
Very best to you,
Dr.T
Tamara,
I'm sorry you think that way about God and the Old Testament. I think you are uninformed and when we are uninformed we draw our own conclusions based on limited knowledge, limited spiritual insight (King James Version; Isaiah 55:8-9), and incorrect understanding of a Biblical text. We cannot read the bible and draw "natural" conclusions without missing the whole point of the bible and incorporating our own ideologies.
Of course, it is "evil" to kill women and children, but if you read the Old Testament closely, you will notice that God is “destroying” the evil that was present among our ancestors, that is whey in Genesis (King James Version; Genesis 6:5-17)God brought the flood (with Noah) to refurbish the earth and rid us of evil. Furthermore, God is the ULTIMATE and He decides what is "evil" and what is not (KJV; Isaiah 55:11), not you, me, or anyone else (despite what "we" think is unfair or "evil" as you put it).
The problem with human beings is that they attempt to utilize the natural world and the things they think they understand to the bible and the ways of God. That is why God attempted to make his power known to the Israelites when he stated "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways..."(KJV; Isaiah 55:8-9). They were so arrogant that they thought they could intellectualize His power.
Most importantly, many of the things that occurred in the Old Testament are further understood upon close inspection of the New Testament.
We cannot take the bible and divide it into what we would like it to be (KJV; Matthew 12:30), we are HIS creation, He is not ours, "the servant is not greater than his lord" (KJV; John 15:20). If we are not careful, we can allow arrogance, pride, ignorance, and lack of correct knowledge to prevent us from understanding the truth in its entirety.
The reality is this: We cannot accept part of the bible and disregard the other. That's like saying I love God but not Jesus, or I love Jesus but not God. They are ONE (KJV; John 14:23-24). The bible is the result of divine inspiration and it is significant from the beginning to the end (II Timothy 3:16-17). You will only be able to appreciate this once you locate the bible’s authenticity.
One of the things I think God and His son (Jesus Christ) would want all who claim to believe in Him to remember is not to follow after the tradition of the Pharisees and Gentiles who created their own religion and rejected what Jesus did because they adopted their own guidelines by taking SOME things from God and ignoring the other things (see Matthew-John). If you read about the Pharisees, you will see exactly what I mean and how very displeased Jesus was with this ungodly form of righteousness (Matthew 23:13-17).
If we go to God in humbleness, asking Him in all honesty for the TRUTH of His word, He will do just that in the perfect timing (Matthew 23:12).
Very best to you,
Dr.T
Tamara,
I'm sorry you think that way about God and the Old Testament. I think you are uninformed and when we are uninformed we draw our own conclusions based on limited knowledge, limited spiritual insight (King James Version; Isaiah 55:8-9), and incorrect understanding of a Biblical text. We cannot read the bible and draw "natural" conclusions without missing the whole point of the bible and incorporating our own ideologies.
Of course, it is "evil" to kill women and children, but if you read the Old Testament closely, you will notice that God is “destroying” the evil that was present among our ancestors, that is whey in Genesis (King James Version; Genesis 6:5-17)God brought the flood (with Noah) to refurbish the earth and rid us of evil. Furthermore, God is the ULTIMATE and He decides what is "evil" and what is not (KJV; Isaiah 55:11), not you, me, or anyone else (despite what "we" think is unfair or "evil" as you put it).
The problem with human beings is that they attempt to utilize the natural world and the things they think they understand to the bible and the ways of God. That is why God attempted to make his power known to the Israelites when he stated "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways..."(KJV; Isaiah 55:8-9). They were so arrogant that they thought they could intellectualize His power.
Most importantly, many of the things that occurred in the Old Testament are further understood upon close inspection of the New Testament.
We cannot take the bible and divide it into what we would like it to be (KJV; Matthew 12:30), we are HIS creation, He is not ours, "the servant is not greater than his lord" (KJV; John 15:20). If we are not careful, we can allow arrogance, pride, ignorance, and lack of correct knowledge to prevent us from understanding the truth in its entirety.
The reality is this: We cannot accept part of the bible and disregard the other. That's like saying I love God but not Jesus, or I love Jesus but not God. They are ONE (KJV; John 14:23-24). The bible is the result of divine inspiration and it is significant from the beginning to the end (II Timothy 3:16-17). You will only be able to appreciate this once you locate the bible’s authenticity.
One of the things I think God and His son (Jesus Christ) would want all who claim to believe in Him to remember is not to follow after the tradition of the Pharisees and Gentiles who created their own religion and rejected what Jesus did because they adopted their own guidelines by taking SOME things from God and ignoring the other things (see Matthew-John). If you read about the Pharisees, you will see exactly what I mean and how very displeased Jesus was with this ungodly form of righteousness (Matthew 23:13-17).
If we go to God in humbleness, asking Him in all honesty for the TRUTH of His word, He will do just that in the perfect timing (Matthew 23:12).
Very best to you,
Dr.T
I'm so sorry for the double posts!
Dr.T
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I will give it some consideration and reflect on your ideas before commenting further.
I do want to emphasize that my thoughts were unfinished in that first post; it was an invitation for discussion with others and inner reflection for myself. I'm glad you've joined in. I agree that we all have limited knowledge, limited spiritual insight, and limited understanding of the Bible and other sacred texts.
I am not taking only one section of the Bible when I think about God; I know the New Testament well, and of course the Old Testament has many beautiful passages about the forgiveness and redemptive grace of God --- the story of Hosea, for instance, is one of the most powerful. I meant only to point out that some of God's actions do not make sense to me, and that I wonder if he cares what I think. I believe he must.
Hi Tamara: Please excuse the long post!
I do understand. Many of us are still in search of God's true Word and the meanings behind them all. I myself have questions. For example, my question to God has been "Why do some become saved and understand Him, while other's reject Him and remain stagnant in uninformed religion?"
I'm afraid I haven't received an answer yet, perhaps in the same ways you have not found answers to your questions. But I believe that if we abandon intellectualization and are humbly asking Him for answers, He will answer in His time (not our time).
One thing I sense from you is that you have an open mind and that is a great start in progressing in God!
In conclusion, I'm not always sure God "cares what we think" when it is negative and critiquing of Him. He is the Maker and Creator of the earth (Isaiah 40:8 and Isaiah 43:15), some questions are okay and others are plain disrespectful. Imagine asking your mother or father (not to equate them with God) why they did everything they did, even some of the things you feel negatively about. I'm sure they would not only become defensive, but also feel that your love is based on condition. "I will only fully serve you if you help me understand why you were the way you were in the Old Testament." (Proverbs 3:5).
But to be fair, the question "does God care what I think?" is a broad question that will ultimately depend on what God decides to share with you in time. Because of the loving God that He is, I do believe He considers our thoughts, hears our thoughts, and even cares about them (1 Peter 5:7), but He still makes the ultimate decisions and sometimes our "thoughts" are not important to Him because He knows that our questions often lack substance and full spiritual insight.
This is just the way that I have understood it so far. But someone else (who has received revelation about this) may have another, more informed perspective.
Take care and may God Bless you
Dr. T
Before I go, I wanted to share a great song with you from David Crowder, from the David Crowder Band. You may know them, but if not, I'm sure you will get to know them well!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIdvtRcPGBg&feature=related
Dr.T
Thanks for sharing David Crowder's great personality and music. I really enjoyed it.
I appreciated your second post, by the way. I'm traveling today and don't have a lot of time for writing back --- but I'm thinking it over, especially the comparison of my relationship with my parents and/or child with my relationship with God.
My dad's in the hospital with complications from a heart attack and other problems. It's a time for thinking about that relationship in particular.
Tamara, I will pray for your dad today and hopefully God will provide you with a miracle.
He does provide healing, if it is His purpose.
Remember, that "all things work together for the good to them that love God and who are called according to His purpose."
Take care,
Dr.T
Thank you for your prayers... and your comments. I'm grateful today for so many things.
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