The Unknown God

There are stories about Jesus appearing in dreams and people becoming saved as a result. How wonderful! To go to sleep as an unrepentant sinner and wake up healed, forgiven, and saved. None of that is OUR doing, but His.

The problem with dreams though is that they quickly fade. Unless someone writes it down upon waking . . .

Have you ever received a spider bite? At least that's what I am assuming it to be. It was itching like crazy at 3am so I got up to put some ointment on it. It didn't help. It was still itching as I sat in my living room chair . . . and fell back asleep . . .

Suddenly, I was walking through a big church and I was quickly becoming aware that I was all alone, in a crowd of busily talking people. Why is no one talking to ME? Where is the love I heard so much about?

So, I sat down, dejected. Why is no one talking to ME? I walked around some more. Nothing. Lots of activity, but no conversation. So I sat down again, alone.

That's when she sat down next to me and, placing her hand on my leg, compassionately asked, "What's wrong?"

"No one's talking to me. No one, except for you."

The conversation continued. I would say something and she would reply, inching closer and closer as we talked.

People began to stare. There were looks of disgust towards us and what was taking place in THEIR  church. But then the people disappeared and I was now talking with a man.

The conversation continued as it had with the woman. Still sitting in the same two chairs, in a row of chairs, in a church.

Then I awoke, and the itching from my spider bite was gone.

And then came this passage to mind from the Book of Acts:

"So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸for:

“‘In him we live and move and have our being.’" - Acts 17:22-28

Have you ever read The Song of Solomon (aka The Song of Songs)? It's the story of a romantic couple from a woman's perspective. But the book is really about a love relationship between believers and Jesus. The believers are the woman.

Are we as intimate with Jesus as we are with mere humans? We should be. Even more so. I'm not talking about anything sexual here. Rather, we should be opening up our hearts to Him and sharing everything with Him. Not just a prayer here and there, but everything.

I have no idea who the man and the woman were in that dream, but I got the message. We need to be sharing the love of Jesus, even with those in the church, but especially with those who are alone and hurting.

Forget about current world events and the human leaders of these earthly nations. "Preach Christ and Him crucified." - 1 Corinthians 2:2

And also this . . .

"Stop trusting in mere humans." - Isaiah 2:22

Trust in the Lord!" - Proverbs 3:5