No God, No Peace...Know God, Know Peace

"[F]or I am persuaded that He is able to keep that, which I've committed unto Him against that day." ~ 2 Tim 1:12

Due to the controversy and emotion that gets stirred up whenever I bring up my views on the subject of religion, or more specifically, Christianity, I had made up my mind not to discuss that subject on this blog. It is indeed ironic, that the very subject that should unite all of us, Conservative and Liberal, Republican and Democrat, does just the opposite, and divides us.

Ironic and troubling.

It was for that reason that I created my other blog, which is basically a collection of my own thoughts and musings concerning my faith. I actually toyed with the idea of not allowing comments on it, as it is not intended to be a discussion piece. But I decided that someone may have questions or comments that would be beneficial to everyone else, including me. So I allow comments.

For those of you who may be wondering why my latest entries have been, to say the least, out of character for me, I will only say, I have recently experienced a crisis in faith. Many people go through these things and survive, yet I have to admit, I do not know how those who don't believe in God and the healing Power of the Holy Spirit, manage to stay sane. As I see it, If one has no God to look to in times of overwhelming anxiety and stress, they have no hope. Without hope, there can be no life. At least, no life worth living.

I don't know, though. Truth be told, I have never known a time when I didn't believe, without question, that there is a God who intervenes in our behalf. My father was an ordained minister, my mother, active as a Sunday School teacher, to this day. Although, at 85, she has had medical problems which have kept her away from church. But I rest assured, she is no doubt conducting Bible Studies in the nursing home in which she now resides temporarily, while she recovers from a recent medical problem.

I have three brothers and two sisters, all of whom are active in their respective churches. One of my brothers is a minister, and former Missionary to the Philippines, who directs missions for a three county Baptist association in NW Missouri. Another is a minister of music in a church in Pennsylvania, as well as a professor of music at Eastern Baptist College. Incidentally, he has lived with Muscular Dystrophy for over 20 years now, and has just recently begun to experience so much difficulty walking that he requires a walker for assistance. The third is a deacon in the same church in which I spent my formative years.

Both of my sisters are married to deacons in their respective churches, and teach Sunday School classes. One of my sisters, who has a degree in Music education, sings reguarly for her church, in spite of the fact that she had a pretty severe stroke a few years ago, from which she hasn't completely recovered. She has sang Opera with the great Sam Ramey, of Metropolitan Opera fame.

So, it isn't hard to see why I don't understand how anyone could not believe in God. Even before I became a Christian, when I was 20 years old, I never doubted the existence of a God. It is my conviction, that although we cannot physically see God, the evidence for His existence is overwhelming. It is all around us, in the structure of the simplest single cell to the complexities of the human brain. In the Grass, and the trees, and the mountains and the valleys, in the wonderful diversity of the animal kingdom.

Emo Phillips, comedian, puts it this way, in this humorous statement:

"Of course there's a God. Do you think that billions of years ago a bunch of molecules floating around at random could someday have had the sense of humor to make you look like that?"

Now, I am aware that some believe that being dutifully raised under the tutelage and guidance of their particular church is synonymous with being a Christian, but I would submit that being raised in a Christian church doesn't make one a Christian any more than being raised in a garage makes one a car.

It is this belief in a higher power, one that controls each of our destinies, whether we believe it or not, that has sustained me, and will continue to sustain me all the years of my life.

I will get through this current crisis, and become stronger as a result. Because I, unlike so many others, have hope, which is embodied in the promise from God, that He will never leave us or forsake us. Hope for the resurrection. Hope for that great day when our tears He will wipe away, and our sorrows be removed forever and ever. And Hope that God, in His wisdom, has mapped out a plan for me, to insure that I will conquer all seemingly insurmountable obstacles to a richer, fuller, and more abundant life.

I cannot see the other side of this crisis at the moment, but I know it is there.