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Though Jesus lived in Palestine long ago,
believers have experienced his presence in every generation. His
resurrection and God’s presence through the indwelling Spirit in
the church mean that everyone encounters the same person, who
does not change “yesterday, or today, or forever.” The Son does
not mutate according to the changing trends in different
historical periods. He is the Way, and no one comes to the
Father except through him. [19]
From the beginning, people were made to
experience presence with another person, human relationships
being analogous to fellowship with God. [41]
God made Adam and Eve in his Trinitarian
image, and mutual communication (or prayer) has been central to
all relationships ever since. The fall did not change this; it
simply caused us to hide from his face, so that our shame would
be unseen. I have frequently contemplated the fact that if I
communicated with my family and friends like I often pray to
God, then I would lose my friends. [84]
Much of the Old Testament deals with prolonged
periods of hope over lifetimes or centuries, something
unthinkable for modern people who have been poisoned by instant
gratification and speed… In times of prolonged difficulty,
people ask questions about the goodness and purposes of God. We
reach out and declare our commitment to God, if he will only
intervene in our behalf. Is it true that “in all things God
works for the good of those who love him” (Rom 8:28)? The answer
is yes, but the point of Jeremiah’s letter is that God took his
people from their homes to generate a hunger for true worship.
[141]
Life has become a driven present that discards
history and ignores the future. But if this life is all there
is, then what is the point of awards that gather dust in attics,
inheritances that are squandered as quickly as spending allows,
plaques that corrode with time, and memorialized buildings that
are demolished after a few years as outdated? The world is
passing away. [206]
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