The One True God

THIS WEEK I did something that I do not usually do. I fasted - kind of. I didn't skip all my meals, but I skipped breakfast, the dessert in my lunch, and my after school snack. Why did I do this? It was a response to a suggestion made by my Life Group leader, Jenny White, who proposed that each member of our group should choose something to fast for a week, something that we crave, either a food or an activity. The purpose of this would be to better focus our attention on seeking God rather than on the thing we choose to fast.

I combined this idea with an idea my friend Arun had last week - that we should fast on Friday morning for the atheists at our school. I thought these were good ideas, and after much prayer and thought about what I ought to fast, I decided to skip my breakfast, the dessert in my lunch, and my after school snack for these atheists.

But how does that help them? Somebody asked me this week. I think it's hard to say when you're not fasting just what the purpose of such fasting can be. But I discovered that it kept these people on my mind and helped me to remember them in my prayers whenever I felt a little hungry, it would remind me to pray for them. It also challenged my resolve to resist the certain things I had decided to take a break from. There were evenings when the pastries seemed to multiply simply because I wanted them so much! Finally, fasting strengthened my own faith. Thinking about atheism, and even about the worship of gods who are not the one true God, encouraged me to look in God's word for things about worship, or a lack thereof. I am very happy to be in the hands of this powerful God who responds to my prayers and assures me of His presence and His love.

God spoke to me through Psalm 115 this week, which my Bible Study group and I discussed this week on Friday. It reminds me that God is faithful to those who fear Him, and that He can and does hear and answer as no other god can do.

v.2-3 "[2] Why should the Gentiles say, 'So where is their God?' [3] But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases." It makes no difference whatsoever that we can't see God, because He makes Himself so present in our lives that we don't need to see to believe. For example, He has answered my prayers for donations for my mission trip in June - on Friday I received a $100 donation! And He speaks to His people, the people who love and fear Him, through His word and in many ways. This Psalm is a perfect example.

v.4-5 "[4] Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. [5] They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see." We may not see God, but at least He sees us! And when we talk to Him, we may not see His mouth, but we hear Him answer us. Just a few days ago He spoke to me through some of my friends, the female leaders of my Youth Group, who sent out Valentines to all the girls in the group. The card contained a reminder that we are beloved to God, and that His plan for us is worth waiting for. Now I definitely won't feel blue on Valentine's Day tomorrow, because God is my Valentine! He told me that He loves me! And He tells me every day. That is what He does, because He loves us so relentlessly and truly.

But an idol can't love. It can sit and look pretty, but it cannot love us. That's because they are the gods that people invented, not the God that invented us. v. 8 says "Those who make them [idols] are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them." This reminds me of the Roman gods and goddesses, full of lust and envy, bias and pride. Aren't they a lot like people? This is because people imagined them in their own image, assigning them human personalities and supernatural powers. People don't imagine gods like God, who is holy and righteous and complex, who challenges us and also comforts us. He imagined us! So when a person worships an invented god, his worship is, sadly, empty. He becomes like what he worships, unable to hear God or see that he's not worshipping the one who wants the best for him. Idol worship doesn't have to be a statue, either. It is anything that takes some of our devotion away from God, like excessive wealth or an important person. When we worship small things we lose out on the beautiful benefits of worshipping a great God who loves us.

v.11 "You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield." And v. 13 "He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great."

I wish I could tell everybody about this one true God, whether they believe in no god or whether they worship something else. Because He loves us so overwhelmingly, so unfailingly, despite our mistakes and flaws, that it' sad to me that there are many people who haven't met Him.

I don't know if you've met Him, and if you have, feel free to link this to somebody who hasn't. I just want you to know that God loves us more than we can know. He won't hide. He has gone to the ends of the earth and reached through all of time to get to each and every one of us. All He is waiting for is for us to realize we need Him. Sin is messing up the world that He made to be perfect, and it can even tear us apart from Him. But His sacrifice of His perfect Son Jesus mends the rip and sets things right between us and Him.

I am grateful that God helped me to stick to my fast and to pay attention this week to the people I know who don't believe in God or who don't worship Him. I hope that this Valentine's day, many people will be reminded of the greatest love ever, which is God's love for us.