God Alone

We serve a God Who is faithful and true, Who calls us to come before Him, to pray to Him, and to see Him act in accordance with His will, in response to the prayers of His people.  Isaiah 44 can help
us to reflect on Who He is:
6 "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.' "

We serve a loving God who desires for His people to call upon His name.  We have a relationship with the one true, Most High God of the universe, Who is great and mighty, and will extend that might on behalf of those who have surrendered to Him.  If we choose to go our own way, He will allow that, but His love never diminishes and He will forgive and restore us when we humble ourselves before Him; but He offers us His love, wisdom, and power.

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In 1st Timothy chapter 3, Paul makes a bold declaration about the nature of God, the God of the Bible:
(15) I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

It's a rather simple question: Do you believe in God or not?

And, I think it's a good question to examine on this National Day of Prayer, a day on which we can be challenged to call out to that God on behalf of our nation.

A recently released Pew survey explored respondents' perception of God.  To the question: 80% responded a resounding "YES," or so it seems.  A Christianity Today analysis of the data points out that only 56% of those surveyed believe in the God of the Bible.  23% of the "yes"es and 9% of the "no"s believe in some other "higher power" or "spiritual force."  Only 10% believe in none of the above.

A few other nuggets of information here:

American Christians (80%) are most likely to believe in a biblical God, a minority position among Jews (33%). A majority of American Jews view God as a higher power or spiritual force instead.

Also, the summary story says: "Within Christianity, nearly all evangelicals (which Pew defined for this study by denominational affiliation, using a multiethnic sample that was 25% non-white) and Protestants attending historically black churches believe in the biblical God, more than any other religious affiliation."

95% of Protestants affirm that God (or the related higher power) is "all-loving."  91% of Protestants say He is "all-knowing," and 83% believe He is "all-powerful."  Put it all together, and 80% believe He is all three; a view embraced by only 61% of Catholics.

Also, regarding God's involvement in the world, 89% of Evangelicals and 96% of historically Black Protestants believe that He "has the power to direct or change everything that goes on in the world."

There is a also a gender gap regarding belief in a Biblical God: 61% of women and 50% of men. 

This data gives us the opportunity to reflect on different attributes of God.  The survey highlighted quite a few: His love, His knowledge, His power.  We can take the occasion of the National Day of Prayer to recognize we serve a God who loves us, who is all knowing AND is able to "direct or change everything."  Everything.  He knows, He understands, and He is great and mighty.  In our times of individual or collective hopelessness, we can turn to and call on God - in the name of Jesus -  Who hears and responds to our prayers.

And, as cold-case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace points out in a column for Townhall.com, there are reasons to consider our opportunities to speak truth about God.  He writes:

So, fellow Christian, before you throw up your hands over the bad news coming from the latest Pew Center Report, consider the good news: we live in a country filled with spiritual seekers who believe a higher power exists and is at work in their lives. For one reason or another, many have rejected the God of the Bible. Sadly, many may have done so without ever coming to know Him. Instead, they may only know us. Have we been able to answer their questions? Have we presented them with a reasonable, “forensic faith” capable of withstanding the scrutiny of our increasingly secular culture? Have we accurately embodied our Christian worldview? Have we shown them the love or power of God? As always, every challenge offers an opportunity. Let’s seize the moment and turn those who are seeking the Divine back toward the God of the Bible.

This is another of those "spiritually sensitive" days that I will speak of at Christmas and around Easter.  First thing this morning, #NationalDayOfPrayer was trending.  It has to be more than a trend for us and can present a challenge to renew our prayer lives and demonstrate to the world that we believe in the God of the Bible, who loves us and is interested in every detail of our lives.