Last night I was reminded of the power of prayer and the presence of Jesus.
A young 2nd grade girl wants to be baptized at our church. Her parents wanted me to talk with her to make sure she was ready. So last night we all sat in my office and she talked about her Christian faith.
She didn’t have all the big theological words. I know some disagree with ‘asking Jesus in your heart.’ But that’s how she described trusting Jesus as Savior.
So I asked her how she knows she really has Jesus as her Savior. She told me she talks to Him all the time. Trying to get on a child’s level, I said, “Does it seem kinda weird to be talking with someone you can’t see?” She responded, “No. I know He’s there and will help me.”
Her mother explained that just a short time ago, she had stitches in her mouth that really hurt. They would eventually dissolve and come out. But she wanted them out sooner. So she prayed and asked Jesus to let the stitches come out. And they did – 3 days early.
What was so impressive to me was that she didn’t think it all too surprising. She asked Jesus and He did it. What’s so unbelievable about that?
Now, some may think this is just a simple child’s hope – like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. But the older I get, I realize that life’s troubles point me to the belief and hope that there is a God who loves me and wants to deliver me. I can become pessimistic and think if there really was a God, we wouldn’t have these problems. But problems actually remind me there is a God.
I read a quote this past week that really encouraged me. In the late 1800s, Otto von Bismarck was a statesman of Germany. He was speaking with Andrew White, US ambassador to Germany. He said, “This life is too sad, too incomplete, to satisfy our highest aspirations and desires. It is meant to be a struggle to ennoble us. Can the struggle be in vain? I think not. Final perfection! I believe in a perfection which God has in store for us.”
God has placed within me a dissatisfaction of life. As good as it can get, I know it could be better. This desire for a better life is a reminder that there is a better life. Every human desire I have, has a fulfillment. I get hungry, I can eat. I get thirsty, I can drink. I get tired, I can sleep. And I can long for a peaceful, loving life, I will go to Heaven.
Life is not what it could be. We struggle with unfulfilled dreams and endure disappointments. We talk to a God we can’t see and hope to go to a Heaven we’ve never been. But one day soon we will see Jesus. One day soon we will live in Paradise.
Are you ready to go to Heaven?
What discourages you as you journey through life?
What helps and encourages you through the struggles you face?
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