Answers to questions Native North Americans are asking
Prayer is powerful. I know it is because prayer has helped me out of some hard situations, but I don't want to pray to God just to get out of trouble. I want a real relationship.
And God wants a real relationship with you! That relationship began when you and I prayed to the only One who could save us from our sins, Jesus, the Christ, God's eternal gift to us. It was then that our prayer life to God as a new believer began, and it is only through His only Son and mediator, Jesus, that we access communication with Him now "Who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony born at the proper time" (1 Timothy 2:4–6).
Relationship is a two-way street. God has ears and eyes, and wants to hear from you always, too. First Peter 3:12 says, "For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
God's Word, His mouth, speaks to us in I Thessalonians 5:16–18, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
We would not know what God wants to say to us if we are not opening God's Word to find out what God is saying. This eternal spiritual relationship is about time with the One you want to get to know better and who cares about you and loves you. It is unlike any other relationship down here. You speak, He listens (that's prayer). He speaks, you listen (That's His Word). Then our responsibility is simply to obey His Word. As John 14:15 says, "If you love me, keep my commands."
We no longer have to wonder about how to have and access this relationship. God is waiting, my friend.
LaDonna Smith and her husband, Craig, founded the evangelistic organization Tribal Rescue Ministries. They are Christian ministers from the Ojibwe and Navajo tribes. LaDonna focuses on their music and teaching ministries and on equipping many next-generation spiritual rescuers.
Dear Relationship Seeker,
Your desire to know God personally, to have a real and intimate relationship with Him, is encouraging and refreshing to hear. So many people only resort to prayer when they are in some sort of a bind. They treat God like a spare tire. They tuck Him away until they need His assistance.
God, however, is not just some cosmic bellhop waiting for us to call on Him for help. The Triune God of creation, salvation, and eternal life is a personal God. Salvation is not just about getting us into Heaven, it is about getting Heaven into us.
What I mean by this is that, often, we only think of "eternal life" as quantity of time-living forever and ever after we die. "Eternal life," however, is also composed of quality of time-having an abundant life down here that begins, not after we die, but at the very moment we bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ in salvation.
Think about it; the God of the universe actually wants to have a personal relationship with us.
The very reason God the Father sent the Lord Jesus down to die for us on a cross was to provide a way for us not only to be forgiven but to have fellowship with Him.
"Fellowship." What a sweet word! It means intimacy, closeness, relationship.
Do you remember the Garden of Eden, back in the early chapters of Genesis? God created Adam and Eve, and He would come down and walk with them during the cool of the day. That is fellowship. The creature walking and talking in harmony with the Creator.
As you know, sin entered the human race and the fellowship between Holy God and sinful man was broken. This is where grace comes in. After Adam and Eve sinned, God came down just like He had before. For the first time in history, Adam and Eve, rather than running to God, ran away from Him. They hid from Him. The Bible says that God called out to them, "Where are you?"
God, who knows everything was not asking a geographical question. He was asking them a personal and spiritual question. "Adam and Eve, where are you at with me? Why are you running away?"
Obviously, they were running away because of their sin and shame. Sin separates us from God. God, in grace, covered them in animal skins and promised them that one day, a Savior would come. That Savior is Jesus. Jesus came to die for our sins, not just to get us into heaven, but also to provide a way for us to have fellowship with the living God.
The Holy Spirit enters our life when we are saved. God Himself indwells us and takes up residence in us. In John 14, Jesus told the disciples not to let their hearts be troubled. He told them He was going away.
The reason they were sad and troubled was because they had a personal relationship with Jesus for over three years. They watched him do miracles, feed the hungry and still storms. Now, He had said, "I am going away."
No wonder they were troubled. God in the flesh was about to return to heaven. They would see His face no more. No more intimate talks as they walked and ate together. No more intimate discussions and explanations.
Jesus calmed their hearts when He told them, "I am going away, but I am going to send you another Comforter" (John 14:16). The word "Comforter" may be translated different ways-Counselor, Advocate, and Helper, depending on your English translation.
The key point is that the reason that word is capitalized in your Bible is because Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit. He was telling His disciples and us, "Do not worry. I am going away but I am going to give each of you my Spirit. He will be with you wherever you go."
Wow, talk about closeness and intimacy! The Bible also says that we are sealed with the Spirit and that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). If you ever need a counselor, comforter, defender or friend, He is always right there to listen to you.
Go ahead, right now, dial him up and talk to Him all that you want. If you want intimacy, you may have it.
Vern Charette (Ojibwa) has a PhD in Homiletics with a minor in Systematic Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is senior pastor at First Baptist Church, Coweta, Okla.
