God is Living

I distinctly remember one of the times in my grade 6 class, where the teacher asked us to bring up prayer points: things that we could praise God for, thank Him for, and also our requests. It was always hardest to think of something to praise God for, but one point remains in my mind; namely, that God is a living God.

God is living: He is not made of wood or stone and He is not some being that has no relation to what goes on in this world. Rather, God is living; He is active, and He responds to us when we talk to Him.

Think of the story of Elijah up on Mt Carmel. While the people danced around the statue of Baal, crying out to him and even cutting themselves in hope that he might hear them, the prophet Elijah, after pouring much water on the altar prayed to God. And God immediately sent fire and consumed the sacrifice on the altar. God heard the prayer of Elijah. Baal remained deaf to the pleas of the people. (1Kings 18)

God is capable of hearing, seeing and understanding. The idols of men aren't.

It is a great comfort to know that the God to whom we pray is living. We are not praying to a deaf wall; rather, our prayers fall on open ears, upon a heart ready and willing to listen. Isn't that wonderful? We can put our trust in a God who understands us, a God who loves us.

There is no other god that is capable of doing such a thing. Whether it is the idols the foreign nations served in the time of the Old Testament, or the idols people make of money, work, drugs, sex, popularity, or sport today - they are all dead.

God alone is living!