We've all heard the saying that there's "no atheists in foxholes." We use it on occasion, and refer to it jokingly when things get heated. But what does that statement really mean?
In light of yesterday's tragic weather in Alabama, I felt compelled to talk about how God works in our lives. For some of us, God gently nudges us to Him. For some of us, we hear Him and follow His voice. For others, sadly, God has to use more dramatic ways of getting our attention. I'm not suggesting that God brought a storm to Alabama to convert "sinners" to be Christ-followers, but I am suggesting that a storm could be an avenue for some to find him.
I watched several videos this morning. First-hand accounts of the absolute devastation and destruction of a city once booming with life. Today, that city is in ruins. Tuscaloosa, where I happen to have family members living, was hit especially hard. The videos show the power and awesome nature of winds colliding in mid-air to produce a suction powerful enough to toss cars about like toys, uproot mature trees, and flatten buildings, without ever slowing down. It's absolutely amazing the strength that a tornado carries with it, and the complete destruction it leaves behind. I imagine people sheltering in hallways or rushing to basements and cellars, listening to the train-like sounds of the passing funnel through their heart beating like thunder in their ears. Children would cry, and parents would do their best to hold them tight and keep them safe until the cloud passed. There would be terror, fright, and panic. And there would be, no doubt, prayers going up faster and more intensely than ever before.
Alabama is largely a Christian state. Every corner, it seems, has a church on it. There are probably, although I can't state it as a fact, more Christians than non-Christians in Alabama. But there are also many, many non-believers. At least, there probably were.
How many prayers, out of pure desperation, went up to the Father from folks who had doubted His presence in their lives? Interestingly, people who say they do not believe in God often use His name, and call out to him when they have no where else to turn. Who among us, when it comes right down to it, would cry out to a God we claim not to believe in to save ourselves? In the face of tragedy, we often feel like we've nowhere else to turn, and so at that moment, we finally realize that God is our last option.
Luckily for us, that's where Jesus lives - at the end of our rope. When we've exhausted every other alternative, we finally turn to our Savior. And luckily for us, He's okay with that. Better late than never. Sometimes, He knows, that's what it takes for us to realize that we alone are simply not equipped to save our own souls. And He waits patiently for us to get to that realization.
I believe that Alabama is dealing with a lot of issues this morning - some temporal, and some spiritual. I believe that some people were faced with death, cried out to God, and were spared. I believe that some people did not survive, but live in Him nonetheless. And I believe that still others are waiting to be pushed to their absolute limit before they confess what their heart already knows - that Jesus saves. For I believe that Pascal was right in saying, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." Our hearts are made to love the one who created them. We often fill that space with things and experiences and relationships. But none of those things can ever save us from the things that this world throws at us. We all are born with the need to know our Heavenly Father. Nothing else can fill that void.
When push comes to shove, all the things we've put in our hearts to fill up that God-shaped hole fall to pieces and we're left with exactly what we were born with - the desire to be in our Father's arms. He's patient - He will wait on us to come to that realization.
It is my prayer that those who believe in Him were spared. But I know that, even as believers, we are subject to mortality. I pray for those that were lost in the storms. I pray that they have accepted Jesus into their hearts, even if it was at the last second. But for those who are left behind, who may still wonder, He is still waiting...
No atheists in foxholes. In other words, when we are staring death in the face, there is no one who doesn't silently plead for God. We don't know why, and we don't know how, but we know that He is our last resort... and I think He's okay with that.
What foxhole might you be in?
In light of yesterday's tragic weather in Alabama, I felt compelled to talk about how God works in our lives. For some of us, God gently nudges us to Him. For some of us, we hear Him and follow His voice. For others, sadly, God has to use more dramatic ways of getting our attention. I'm not suggesting that God brought a storm to Alabama to convert "sinners" to be Christ-followers, but I am suggesting that a storm could be an avenue for some to find him.
I watched several videos this morning. First-hand accounts of the absolute devastation and destruction of a city once booming with life. Today, that city is in ruins. Tuscaloosa, where I happen to have family members living, was hit especially hard. The videos show the power and awesome nature of winds colliding in mid-air to produce a suction powerful enough to toss cars about like toys, uproot mature trees, and flatten buildings, without ever slowing down. It's absolutely amazing the strength that a tornado carries with it, and the complete destruction it leaves behind. I imagine people sheltering in hallways or rushing to basements and cellars, listening to the train-like sounds of the passing funnel through their heart beating like thunder in their ears. Children would cry, and parents would do their best to hold them tight and keep them safe until the cloud passed. There would be terror, fright, and panic. And there would be, no doubt, prayers going up faster and more intensely than ever before.
Alabama is largely a Christian state. Every corner, it seems, has a church on it. There are probably, although I can't state it as a fact, more Christians than non-Christians in Alabama. But there are also many, many non-believers. At least, there probably were.
How many prayers, out of pure desperation, went up to the Father from folks who had doubted His presence in their lives? Interestingly, people who say they do not believe in God often use His name, and call out to him when they have no where else to turn. Who among us, when it comes right down to it, would cry out to a God we claim not to believe in to save ourselves? In the face of tragedy, we often feel like we've nowhere else to turn, and so at that moment, we finally realize that God is our last option.
Luckily for us, that's where Jesus lives - at the end of our rope. When we've exhausted every other alternative, we finally turn to our Savior. And luckily for us, He's okay with that. Better late than never. Sometimes, He knows, that's what it takes for us to realize that we alone are simply not equipped to save our own souls. And He waits patiently for us to get to that realization.
I believe that Alabama is dealing with a lot of issues this morning - some temporal, and some spiritual. I believe that some people were faced with death, cried out to God, and were spared. I believe that some people did not survive, but live in Him nonetheless. And I believe that still others are waiting to be pushed to their absolute limit before they confess what their heart already knows - that Jesus saves. For I believe that Pascal was right in saying, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." Our hearts are made to love the one who created them. We often fill that space with things and experiences and relationships. But none of those things can ever save us from the things that this world throws at us. We all are born with the need to know our Heavenly Father. Nothing else can fill that void.
When push comes to shove, all the things we've put in our hearts to fill up that God-shaped hole fall to pieces and we're left with exactly what we were born with - the desire to be in our Father's arms. He's patient - He will wait on us to come to that realization.
It is my prayer that those who believe in Him were spared. But I know that, even as believers, we are subject to mortality. I pray for those that were lost in the storms. I pray that they have accepted Jesus into their hearts, even if it was at the last second. But for those who are left behind, who may still wonder, He is still waiting...
No atheists in foxholes. In other words, when we are staring death in the face, there is no one who doesn't silently plead for God. We don't know why, and we don't know how, but we know that He is our last resort... and I think He's okay with that.
What foxhole might you be in?
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