The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
All in Doubt
Has God blessed you? Stress and affliction might make you think He has not. But being blessed and feeling blessed are two very different things.
Several years ago, I decided I needed a hobby. I had many interests – basketball, fantasy baseball, music – but I engaged in all of these past times with members of the church where I preached, or with fellow Christians in the area. I needed a hobby that would put me in contact with people from all walks of life. So I looked up the closest chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, and over the last 17 years I have made a large and diverse bunch of friends.
As it happens, several of my barbershop singing friends are from Sweden, and – typical of the very secular climate in Sweden – they are not believers. A few of them are quite belligerent about their atheism. Last fall, I fell into a discussion on Facebook with one of them, a discussion I was frankly hesitant to engage in, given the nasty reputation that debates on social media have earned. But in this case, I am glad to say that my fears were misplaced. Over the course of nearly three weeks, several atheists and agnostics in Sweden as well as in the States joined in and presented arguments against Christianity and gave me a very courteous hearing as I responded.
The past few months have been troubling for the people of God who are concerned about morality. Debates about transgenderism have led to cultural clashes around the country as states and their leaders make decisions that will impact younger, more vulnerable citizens. A recent leak from the Supreme Court on the hot button topic of abortion has reignited emotional responses so much so that fencing has been placed around the Supreme Court building, for fear of attack. Atrocities in a foreign war remain forefront in the news cycle and a reminder of how villainous humans can be to other humans. If one has a steady diet of news consumption, it can lead to hand-wringing worry about the state of the world. Yet, God says to live without anxiety: “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:5b-7). How is this possible?
We have had those troubles, various and difficult, that leave us lying awake at night. When we try to think, it only makes us moan. When we try to put it to words, we fail. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ felt similarly when he cried out on the cross, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?”
