The unknown God or the forgotten God

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god…. Acts 17:23

Paul was surrounded by many of the learned men of his day, philosophers, and teachers; these men had come from all over the world to discuss a multitude of ideas including religion and philosophy.

They took Paul to the Areopagus to discuss God and religion.  Paul noticed all the many gods they had and then he found a rather unique one. He soon became fixated on the statue to the unknown God. Paul knew it was his God that was unknown to them.

Today there are still many gods. A god is what we worship.  We dedicate our lives to our god and we sacrifice to our god.  We love our god and think about our god all the time. Our god is loved above everything else. However for some this god may live in their back pocket, especially if it is money. Their god may live on the television screen or the arena, especially if it is a team.  Their god may live in the refrigerator, or on the golf course or even at the beach.  The priestess of their god may be their boss, especially if it is their job or career. Yet others worship at the feet of science, nature, Mother Earth, or the individual. However none of these are the true God; for He cannot be contained or limited to one place.  He was once the unknown God, but sadly, is now the forgotten God.

This is the generation that considers itself too sophisticated to believe in an almighty, divine God. For them creation is a fable; we simply came along by accident, except there is nothing simple about us.

Scripture says it best, “the fool has said in his heart there is no God.” (Psalms 14:1) Paul explains that God is clearly revealed through his creation, starting with us. (Romans 1:18-20)

We are surrounded by the most complex society that has ever existed, complete with computers, smart phones, GPS, satellites, rocket ships, drones, tablets and the list goes on and on.  All these have teams of designers, inventors, creators that spent countless hours perfecting their inventions. However the most complex creation does not come from an Apple Inc. factory. It is the one reading these words right now.  There is far more information, data, coding and tiny engines within our being, than can be found in any of the most complex inventions, proof of design. Yet we are to believe that we came about by accident.  It would be like blowing up a dictionary and ending up with Hamlet. 

There are many gods, we sometimes serve them unknowingly. Let us choose wisely. For there is only one God who speaks, listens, loves, watches, saves, has a place prepared for us and promises to never leave us.  He is our programmer, our inventor and creator.  His mark is upon our DNA, our minds, and even our souls. He desires to spend all eternity with us. Will you deny Him, forget Him or serve Him?

When it hurts, what do we do?

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25

When in my darkest moments, feeling lost and unable to fight, I opened my mouth and out came praises to my God. Tears rolled down my eyes. But I felt at peace. It’s not because the problem had been solved. It’s not because I had forgotten. The problem was still very real. It’s not because I sing so well. Trust me I’m not the singer in the family. It’s because He was there.

I knew I was not alone and somehow He would see me through. The bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3) It is no exaggeration to say that the moment I started worshipping God He was there to comfort me. I have had many moments in my life when I needed God’s comfort. He has yet to fail me. It certainly cannot be my own strength.

God is our strength in troubled times. We have a great defense when we are going through trials. Paul and Silas sure found out. (Acts 16:16-31)They had been arrested unjustly, beaten, chained and locked in the deepest portion of the prison. It was dark, dreadful and hopeless. What did they do? They opened their mouths and with what little strength they had left, they worshiped God. God was there in a big way. The earth shook and the very foundations of the prison were broken. The chains came undone and the doors came down. They were free men. Because God made them free!

Fortunately for the jailer, Paul and Silas with obvious compassion for the man did not run away. This act of love saved the jailer’s life and then saved his soul, as he would give his life to Christ.

Our trials and difficulties in this world are not about to end. We still have some tears to shed. But in those moments when you are too weak to fight any more and a solution does not seem handy, open your mouth and let your God hear your mighty praise! His answer will surely be even mightier and you will feel His presence deep in your heart.