How awesome is God?

How awesome is God as he comes from his sanctuary— the God of Israel! He gives strength and power to his people. Praise God!

That quote comes from Psalm 68, a longish triumphant song of jubilation written by David. It also has the phrase in it "Our God is a God who saves"

One of my favourite Dylan albums is Shot of Love. The title song says "I need a shot of love, I don't need a shot of heroin to kill my disease" yes it's true that our disease or our uneasiness is one of the biggest problems that we face in life. We need to find a solution to that feeling. This is probably the reason that some of us get caught up in addictive behaviour. And we all do at times. St Augustine put it like this "'You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you'"

I wonder if you have ever read Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonegut? It's an amazing book. Very funny in places but also darkly addressing the question of war and how it impacts on the human heart. In it Vonegut gets his character Billy Pilgrim to soliquoise about religion. I haven't been able to find the exact quote,but Billy concludes that religion is a "fova" that humankind has invented to cope with life. A fova is a word that Vonegut uses which he says means "harmless lie"

When I read the book as a young man this really impacted on me and made me question my belief in Christ. It made me ask myself was I pursuing a harmless lie? The honest answer this older version of Simon can give you is that God has proved himself too many times to me for me to doubt any more. He has changed my heart through inner healing received (forgive me if I am repeating myself), and through the trickle down of other spiritual experiences. He is a God who can answer prayers in his own unique ways. Sending you people who seem almost like angels.

Today I can honestly say I am convinced that if you turn to him he will bless you. This is true even if you have never had a thought about God before in your life, or if you have been an intellectual Christian your entire life.
Martin Luther King used to talk about three conversions being necessary in a persons life. Conversion of heart, conversion of mind, conversion of wallet.  The last one is about alms giving I think, but the important point is have you let God into your life at more than just an intellectual level? He wants to be in your hearts life. To perform a hearts conversion on you. So that you can feel for the things that he feels for.

He wants to come into your heart and say "today I have become your father" - turn to God, of your own free will, he is a heart changer.

For reflection:
"I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people and his friends, his help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land" Psalm 85:9 Grail Translation

Dear Lord, help me to listen to you today. Bless my life and change my thinking. Open my heart to your compassion and healing love. Amen