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This issue is a little bit long and better maturely and separately discussed. It is a matter of UNDERSTANDING really. Bible clearly says that man's ways are different from God's ways and that God's ways are mysterious. That is why we are expected to GROW in knowing Him. Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Nobody here on earth has full/complete knowledge of God. i don't even understand people close to me fully, not to mention God. The capacity is simply not there to fully process Him. However, just like our pets and domestic animals, we can have and grow in partial knowledge of our owners. For instance, a goat may not first know anything about you, but with time, it might come to understanding that a particular place ant time is where it sleeps, eats, a particular sound makes it know there is food etc. It has understood you to some extent compared to before, and to other goats. Same for pets like dogs, cats etc than can be well trained and understand humans to a very large degree. But no matter how smart a dog is, still it cannot fully process we humans or relate like a human to human. Our wisdom and that of animals is even closer than that of humans and the Godhead. The point i am bringing out of this is that we may not claim to fully understand the Word of God or God Himself, not you not i. However, we have varying degrees of understanding, and i dare say i understand God more than you. You do not even believe He exists BTW so this should not raise an argument as it were. When a father, or better still, when you as a father tell your child that you are going to help him/her anytime you are called. It is taken for granted that you say it out of love and mutual understanding. If your child says dad help me with my school fees for instance, you would likely help or try to. If the child says dad help me with the dishes, or read for me, dad you promised to help me. i'm not sure you will help in such a case, even when you could. Why, for one reaason, you expect a level of maturity, responsibility and independence from your child. In similar vein, God has created man with SO MUCH so as to be largely independent and able to solve problems and basically survive. He made man Lord of the earth as it were, and gave him dominion, making him just a little lower than angels. There are some things God normally will not help you with, no matter how many promises you quote, especially when it is something you could have taken care of on your own or with the help of others. Psa 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Psa 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Psa 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
Normally, He doesn't even need to visit us as it were or intervene as much as we want and ask Him to. We are just a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honour, and made to have dominion. Sometimes however, God intervenes, what we call miracles. Three main things/causes of His intervention are one His Sovereignty, two Prayers, three Faith. The Bible does not forbid us from going to the hospital or using medicine. In fact, Paul encouraged Timothy to use wine as some sort of medicine for his FREQUENT infirmities. Anyone running to church instead of the hospital is ON HIS OWN, especially when the hospital can treat him. His decision and model is not Bible based or divinely commanded. Going to the hospital is not mutually exclusive to trusting God or having faith in God. He can still pray in his hospital bed, and he can still die there BTW. His dying there does not mean drugs do not work, just like dying in church does not mean God is not real. i'll give you four instances/illustrations that explain what i am saying further. 1. There was a sick baby last month, for some reason the parents did not take her to the hospital but were using self medication. When the case got worse, they took her to LUTH. LUTH rejected her saying there was nothing they could do, that it was already late, she should have been brought earlier. They had to take the child home, a baby girl. They sent the request to church for prayers and continued with their medications. The baby girl is better now, she has recovered.
2. There was a man last year, who woke up from bed unable to move from his back up, virtually paralysed. He was 'okay' the previous day, nothing wrong with him. He was rushed to the hospital where they did tests and scans etc and discovered there was a problem with one part of his spine and he had to pay some amount for surgery. The man and the family were so confused and disbelieving because there was nothing wrong with him previously. Why then does he have to spend so much etc. they went to another hospital, this time private specialist. tat one gave him another big name disease from the spine too, of course his fee was bigger. His attempt to go abroad for better healthcare was even more costly. In all these, he was paralysed for real, his neighbours knew, and he himself and family knew. No drama. In the middle of this, brethren have been praying for him. He was then at a healing crusade, and according to him, he received his healing at the crusade. He was spared the agony of living with paralysis for the rest of his life, and the hundreds of thousands he did not have did not need to be worried about. Whatever explanation you may give to that, the man and his family who experienced this answer to prayer will be grateful to God.
3. i have a friend, born a muslim but now a born again christian. This fellow had stroke, with slurred speech, going dumb and clearly dying. As a last resort, after all he could do everywhere else, he was dumped in front of his brother's house. His brother is my friend through whom i knew him. His brother is a christian. The brother found him lying in front of his house dying and neglected. The brother did not offer him any hope of healing, he was preaching to him to give his life to Christ, about eternity etc. The man managed to give his life to Christ. Well, he did not die, so they continued to take care of him, pray for him, read Bible to him etc. In a week, he was healed of ALL his sickness. The man is alive and well, and even richer than his brother as it were. Not dem say, i still saw and spoke with him today. Whatever excuse you might give to that, i would rather have that kind of luck, or placebo or whatever name you call it (instead of you calling it God answering prayer) than believe in nothing, which is far most lazy and does not have any significant advantage.
4. Some few years ago, i suddenly developed eye problem. Dizziness, headache, blurry sight, longsightedness etc. Wetin i do, wetin happen, am i going blind? i began to pray and skabbash It's funny now, though it wasn't funny then oh. i know what i faced and experienced, so don't you tell me story and plausible explanation to rationalise my pain. At any rate, as i was praying, i find my way go see optician. Faith and Medicine are not mutually exclusive, and many need to understand that. After examination, the man said i had latent hyperopia. i've never heard the word nor its meaning before. i asked for the cause, the cure etc. He said it can happen to anybody bla bla bla, there is nothing that can be done to it, i would only use recommended glasses, he said something has spoilt in the eyes(abi finished, i don;t particularly recall), and that is all for a lifetime etc. So, i paid for the glasses, and was told to come back for it in some days time. See me thinking like what went wrong, it cannot happen, so i cannot read again without glasses, even to read for NL, my eyes was heavy and watery etc. As i got home, the kain prayer i fire ehn, no be here. To the glory of God, it was gone the next day. Latent hyperopia went to wherever it came from. i went to collect my designer recommended glasses sha since i have paid for it. i've NEVER had to wear it.
You are skeptics so i hardly expect you to believe my four stories. Even if you did have no choice but to accept that they happened, you would still try to explain them away, anything but God. i experienced it though, and it was God that did it. i've seen other things happen before. i only gave the above four showing that one can still do required part and pray for divine help. God helped me and helped those other three, we all went to the hospital too, but the hospital did not have to help us. Sometimes, healing can come THROUGH the hospital too. i'm already long, not to be too long i will stop here. Expecting your inputs and questions before further talking.
cc: HardMirror, frank317, cloudgoddess, wirinet. You can copy others though i hardly expect them(of your ilk persuasion) to show capability to discuss or reason, from experience. But sir,what can you say about God's stand when his children are engaged in unforeseen danger like mob,road accident,rape and all? Is He expecting us to help ourself or what? |