"Unseen", but very tangible

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Sep 6, 2018 at 19:38

Hi, Martin

You said, '"How do you know what God's word is? Or how it is to be understood?" You never answered it.'

Forgive my omission. Notice, you didn't say, "Convince ME concerning God's word." I could never convince anyone of such a thing; but I can tell you how I know what his word is. King David summed it up for me, 3000 years before I was born:

Pss.62
[11] God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

As in David's case, everything I have received of God, I have heard twice: the first time was when I read or heard it from the Bible; and the second time was, after applying it, in seeing it work in my life. Let me just give a few examples:

Prov.22
[29] Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

I am not a businessman like Donald Trump; but I do have a "business" that the Adonai has set before me -- to study creation, to learn of life, and most importantly, to come to know the One who made me. I have devoted my life to this pursuit, and been diligent in it. I have traveled across the world; and in my travels, I have sought out the lowly and despised things; because these are the ones, to which the Bible says God has the true wisdom of eternal things; and I have sought God, reading ancient texts of many religions, practicing Yoga, etc., until finally having an interview with God (John Muir style, as when he interviewed the grizzly bear) when lost in the forest. I have not sought out people admired by this world, but became a companion of people of faith -- not famous ones, though I did talk for a bit with Nicky Cruz. Most "men of God", as the world would reckon them, such as Rev. Billy Graham, I have seen from a short distance; ut these are not the ones I have sought out. I have sought out people who have given their lives to practicing the Bible.

Have I sat before kings? Ben Franklin quoted the same scripture I did; and though he had stood before several monarchs, the "kings" of his own estimation were not these. In my case, I did have dinner with the President of Guatemala, a short while after he was put out of office. We ate pizza, and he picked up the dirty dishes and took them to the sink -- with a great smile on his face, because he also was a believer. I must also note that many of those here, including Daniel Pipes, are not "mean men"; yet I can converse freely with them.

This is how it is with every worthy thing in my life. Jesus said, for instance,

Matt. 6:
[31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
[32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
[33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
[34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

This is one of those sayings that seems like foolishness to most of mankind, a race bowed down every day with many worries. Did Jesus speak the words of God? Whatever others may conclude, I myself know these words came from God; for I have lived my life by them. I am 70 years old, as are millions of others. Most of them have filled their waking and sleeping hours with concerns about their wealth, their fame, etc. I have not: I have sought to advance the Kingdom of God, to the best that I have understood it; and otherwise have been rather carefree -- yet those others haven't lived one day longer than me, nor have they wound up in more pleasant surroundings. I was lonely and unpopular as a child, but now have had a loviing companion for some 44 years; I was raised in poverty; but now I live in the classiest ZIPcode of my community; I never saved up for college, yet I have a Master's degree. Most importantly, I have all these things with contentment; because I daily cast my cares upon the One who cares for me.

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this. As the prophet once said,

Pss.34
[8] O TASTE and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Elsewhere, it says,

Pss.20
[7] Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
[8] They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

Christians sometimes say, "believing is seeing", and they are misunderstood. We do not believe in nebulous things, nor are they actually invisible. At the FIRST, when we put our trust in them, they are unseen, like the wind; but when we taste them, when we rely on and practice them, what results is very tangible.

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