Being born a long time ago makes me feel pretty old – especially when I meet someone born in 2002. Can you imagine not knowing who Fonzi is? Or not having seen the Monkies live on Ed Sullivan? Who’s Ed Sullivan some ask? Yes, I get it. I used to wonder what it was like in the 1920’s. There are those who remember.
That brings me to my current blog. I recently learned of the 1973 film Sleeper. I have never seen the film, but understand that in the movie, Woody Allen plays a character who wakes up 200 years after being frozen in a scientific experiment. He is given a stack of photographs from our century to identify. This prompts a series of hilarious one-liners. I’ll bet everyone who has ever looked at old photos can relate. In Sleeper, one of the photos was of the late Billy Graham. Woody Allen pauses, then says, “Billy Graham…claimed to have a personal relationship with God.” The audience, of course, cracks up. That is how absurd the idea sounds to many people. Especially in this ‘new’ age.
I think it’s pretty sad to think a relationship with God is absurd. I had a co-worker who wrote an email to my boss stating I was mentally ill for claiming to have a relationship with the Living God. The Bible outlines how Jesus came to us, was born a Baby, lived, did many miracles and taught people just like us, died, and rose from the grave so we could have a personal relationship with Him. The dictionary defines personal as ‘individual, private, as one’s own, intended for use by one person.’
There are many questions facing us today. Do we walk this walk alone? Is there an unseen Providence? Are our steps really ordered by the Lord? (Proverbs 20.24) Should we pray about things or just trust medication or the ‘new way’ of making ourselves feel valuable and with purpose? Michael W. Smith sings a song about Providence. Some of the words are, “The Hand of Providence, Oh, it’s evident, we could never make it on our own.” I see God in everything.
I know it is God’s intent that everyone know Him in a special and personal way – not in imagination about what He is like and Who He is, but in a real and personal way. In a way that pictures of us will prompt the on-looker to say, ‘They claimed to have a personal relationship with God.’ What a nice thing to say about someone.
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