Is your God strong?

Another post inspired by WordLive coming up (if you've not looked at this site, I think you should. And not just because I'm part of the organisation which runs it!)

The article suggests that "For some people, the main question concerning the Christian message isn’t ‘Is your God real?’ but ‘Is your God strong?’" Can he help them, what can he do for them to make him worth following? Can you see what he's doing, what effect does he have? In other words, the question is not "is it true?" but "does it work?" Truth, in our postmodern age, doesn't seem to count for much- it's often implied that it's not possible to know what is true.

As Christians we believe that God is the truth, and I don't want to detract from that. But if truth isn't what people are searching for then perhaps we need to look at other ways of explaining God's greatness. Perhaps we need to be showing that God does 'work,' that he is strong.

I'm not sure exactly what. Perhaps it's up to us as Christians to show how God is real to us, how he is at work in our lives, what he's doing for us. That's where our personal stories, our testimonies, can be very helpful. They may not be as spectacular or impressive as the former gangsters or drug dealers who have found new hope through Christ and had their whole lives changed. But simple, everyday stories- an answered prayer, perhaps a healing, perhaps just explaining that the reason you're doing something is that you feel it's what God wants- are in some ways more likely to connect with ordinary people. These stories show that God is interested in our lives and cares about us- a way in for people to realise that God loves them.

But there's a snag...God doesn't always do what we want. To quote C.S. Lewis: "he's not a tame Lion." It doesn't always seem that he's answered our prayers, sometimes it's hard to see how he might be working in the situation we're in. So how can we say to people that he is strong, that he can help them? And how do we make sure we're presenting the whole gospel- including the less pleasant bits we perhaps wish weren't true, about the consequences of rejecting God's love?

I think we have to be honest. We need to show people that God loves them- that rather than judgement being a negative thing, he has rescued them from that if they choose to trust him. I think it can be hard for people to grasp the idea that God- not some remote Being but a God who cares about individuals- loves them. I find it hard sometimes. But once we trust that he loves us, and has our best interestes at heart, we can trust that even if things are tough or it seems that he's not answering our prayers, sooner or later things will be worked out in the best way possible- best perhaps not from our point of view but from God's. Once we are sure of God's love for us, then we can trust him with anything- with everything. It's not always easy- I know that- but we can.