Thanks for writing this. It has actually been weighing on my mind a lot recently. I read the Bible verse that's like, "do not I provide food for the birds and are you not that much more important than they are."
I was thinking, "but birds starve all the time and so do humans." I'm not sure I have necessarily come to grips with that specific verse other than maybe that's why it's important to pray. Maybe if you pray for food God will take care of you in that way. Dunno.
That’s a good observation. It reminds me of how Jesus tells us in one place to ask for what we need in prayer, and in another place that God knows what we need before we ask. How do those two things reconcile? Why does He say that?
There are very good answers to those questions, but if you don’t start by trusting God, you’ll never arrive at them.
Another good resource that I would recommend is a good Catholic Study Bible: Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: https://a.co/d/0OsmALk
That can help a lot in understanding difficult passages.
Wonderful letter, Stuart. Thanks for sharing this with the world. I particularly liked this part: "Our ignorance of the spiritual mechanics behind our eternal destinies, or any difficult teaching, ought to make us more trusting of, and more reliant on, our Heavenly Father, not less." How important to remember that!
The way you approach this topic and reason through it brought me right back to a book I read yesterday in my Bible reading: Habakkuk. The ending of that book also marks the beginning of our faith when doubts flash across our mental skies.
Thank you for your kind reply, Stuart. I hope you do find a connection between Habakkuk and your letter, so that it's not only something in the mind of the beholder.
Thanks for writing this. It has actually been weighing on my mind a lot recently. I read the Bible verse that's like, "do not I provide food for the birds and are you not that much more important than they are."
I was thinking, "but birds starve all the time and so do humans." I'm not sure I have necessarily come to grips with that specific verse other than maybe that's why it's important to pray. Maybe if you pray for food God will take care of you in that way. Dunno.
Praise God, so glad it was helpful!
That’s a good observation. It reminds me of how Jesus tells us in one place to ask for what we need in prayer, and in another place that God knows what we need before we ask. How do those two things reconcile? Why does He say that?
There are very good answers to those questions, but if you don’t start by trusting God, you’ll never arrive at them.
Another good resource that I would recommend is a good Catholic Study Bible: Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: https://a.co/d/0OsmALk
That can help a lot in understanding difficult passages.
Ok thanks
Wonderful letter, Stuart. Thanks for sharing this with the world. I particularly liked this part: "Our ignorance of the spiritual mechanics behind our eternal destinies, or any difficult teaching, ought to make us more trusting of, and more reliant on, our Heavenly Father, not less." How important to remember that!
The way you approach this topic and reason through it brought me right back to a book I read yesterday in my Bible reading: Habakkuk. The ending of that book also marks the beginning of our faith when doubts flash across our mental skies.
Thanks so much, Federico! I appreciate that feedback. I always love hearing which parts in particular people were impacted by, so, again, thank you.
I haven't read Habakkuk in a while, I'd love to better understand the connection you're making. I'm going to re-read it tonight with that in mind.
Thank you for your kind reply, Stuart. I hope you do find a connection between Habakkuk and your letter, so that it's not only something in the mind of the beholder.