I came across a great saying this week – “a person with an experience has nothing to worry about from a person with an argument”. What does this mean?
We live in an age of conflicting perspectives and arguments – the more we think about something, the more arguments and counter arguments we can think of. But when we have experienced something first hand, we are far more confident to say, “we know”. This is never more true than when we think about faith in Jesus and the experience of living with His Presence as part of our lives.
I’m sure we have all been very struck by the wonderful news of the miners rescued from the mine in Chile (old news, no doubt, by the time this comes to print – but good news none the less, itself a rare thing in the media!!). I watched a wonderful clip of film that edited together the moments when the miners reached the surface (you can see it here if you are computer savvy - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11539086) – it is beautiful to see. Many of the men, fell to their knees in thankful prayer, many spoke about how they felt that God had strengthened and supported them through the ordeal. This is an experience they will never forget – it is an experience of God’s presence that no doubtful arguments will ever shake – it was far too real for them to ever relinquish.
The truth is that each of us will have our own story about the reality of God’s presence with us in a time of difficulty or a sense of thankfulness to God in a time of blessing. Our experiences may be less dramatic (thankfully) but no less real. When I look back over my life, I can see that the times when I have been most aware of God’s presence and the reality of Jesus at work are the times of greatest joy, hope and peace. Likewise, the dark times have been the times when I have doubted or felt my faith undermined.
It is said that the wise learn from their experiences – they don’t make the same mistakes twice! So in moments when we feel doubt and uncertainty eating away at our hope and peace, let’s remember to make the decision to live in the joy of faith – whatever the circumstances – and we can be sure that as our hearts turn to prayer so the “peace of God that passes all understanding will fill our hearts and minds with the love and love of God, of his Son Jesus Christ”. As the psalms and the prophets continually extol…
“remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me”
