Mild Hurricane Season?
On the Fourth of July, I went public with a request for a "Sign from God" that I had earlier asked God for privately.
Earlier this month I was in Southern California listening to a Christian Radio station where I heard a conversation between two radio show hosts. I am not exactly sure what brought up the topic, but one host seemed to address "signs from God" or "predicting the future" when he stated something like "Hey I can do that as well. I predict that tomorrow the drought for Southern California will continue." "Wow, such confidence" I thought to myself sarcastically. The host predicts the obvious, that which the weather experts themselves predict. Perhaps I would have been impressed if the host had predicted something like "Over the next four weeks, the drought in Southern California will be broken" and this prediction, flying contrary to the predictions of weather experts, turned out to be true.
Anyway, to sharpen the point of the spear that would be driven home if I get my "Sign from God", which would be a mild hurricane season for the continental United States (particularly the east coast) this year, I wish to point out that all the so called weather experts prior to the opening of the hurricane season, predicted an active one for this year. Part of their explanation for last year's mild hurricane season in the Atlantic was the El Nino warm water phenomenon in the eastern Pacific which strengthened unexpectedly. There is no El Nino this year.
Even now, after a weak opening of the season, the experts still predict an active season. (See here) a Reuters piece that appears on the MSNBC website that reports on this.
I only point this out because, now that I have gone public with my request for a sign, if God grants my request, I feel that many, if not most, will dismiss it as being a mere coincidence. Even those who profess strong faith in the existence of God (like the Southern California Christian radio show host) will be dismissive.
I am uncertain if God will grant my request for a sign. If it fits into his will, his plans, perhaps he will do so. Let me explain myself. As unlikely (without the advantage of hindsight) as it is for the Continental United States to have a mild hurricane season, but experience such a result anyway, is just the type of things I have witnessed when I requested "signs from God" over the past several years. I started with requests for specific "improbable" events to happen and progressed to demanding the nearly "impossible" only to have these events happen time and again. With the advantage of hindsight, I guess each of my private requests for a sign, standing by itself, could be dismissed as mere coincidence; however when I put the multiple times that which I asked for occurred, it would indeed be delusional for me to dismiss it all as just an amazing string of coincidences.
So this time instead of asking for a private sign, I am asking for one in public. I struggle with understanding why God would grant me signs (proof) that he exists while he denies such proof to others. There is nothing special or "holy" about me that I can identify that would make me more worthy of such extraordinary attention from the Lord then any other human being. I am indeed a wretched example of a man. Is God attempting to motivate me towards some special plan he has for my life? Does He expect some action from me in return for the extraordinary proof provided that He exists?
So by "going public" I am attempting to put God on the spot. If he has special expectations from me I do not think I can achieve these expectations without his help. With God's help, well, the preachers preach that all things are possible. I am asking God to help me to achieve that which he seems to expect of me. Even with God's help, I do not think my task will be easy, however it then might be within the realm of possibility.
Absent this sign, perhaps God still has expectations of me, however perhaps these expectations are not as enormous as I now feel they might be. Perhaps the reason He has granted me "special attention" is that I am especially worthy of pity or something. Perhaps He only wants to motivate me to live a "good" life and nothing more. I think that I can achieve, as long as He does not expect "perfection" out of me or something - grin.
Earlier this month I was in Southern California listening to a Christian Radio station where I heard a conversation between two radio show hosts. I am not exactly sure what brought up the topic, but one host seemed to address "signs from God" or "predicting the future" when he stated something like "Hey I can do that as well. I predict that tomorrow the drought for Southern California will continue." "Wow, such confidence" I thought to myself sarcastically. The host predicts the obvious, that which the weather experts themselves predict. Perhaps I would have been impressed if the host had predicted something like "Over the next four weeks, the drought in Southern California will be broken" and this prediction, flying contrary to the predictions of weather experts, turned out to be true.
Anyway, to sharpen the point of the spear that would be driven home if I get my "Sign from God", which would be a mild hurricane season for the continental United States (particularly the east coast) this year, I wish to point out that all the so called weather experts prior to the opening of the hurricane season, predicted an active one for this year. Part of their explanation for last year's mild hurricane season in the Atlantic was the El Nino warm water phenomenon in the eastern Pacific which strengthened unexpectedly. There is no El Nino this year.
Even now, after a weak opening of the season, the experts still predict an active season. (See here) a Reuters piece that appears on the MSNBC website that reports on this.
I only point this out because, now that I have gone public with my request for a sign, if God grants my request, I feel that many, if not most, will dismiss it as being a mere coincidence. Even those who profess strong faith in the existence of God (like the Southern California Christian radio show host) will be dismissive.
I am uncertain if God will grant my request for a sign. If it fits into his will, his plans, perhaps he will do so. Let me explain myself. As unlikely (without the advantage of hindsight) as it is for the Continental United States to have a mild hurricane season, but experience such a result anyway, is just the type of things I have witnessed when I requested "signs from God" over the past several years. I started with requests for specific "improbable" events to happen and progressed to demanding the nearly "impossible" only to have these events happen time and again. With the advantage of hindsight, I guess each of my private requests for a sign, standing by itself, could be dismissed as mere coincidence; however when I put the multiple times that which I asked for occurred, it would indeed be delusional for me to dismiss it all as just an amazing string of coincidences.
So this time instead of asking for a private sign, I am asking for one in public. I struggle with understanding why God would grant me signs (proof) that he exists while he denies such proof to others. There is nothing special or "holy" about me that I can identify that would make me more worthy of such extraordinary attention from the Lord then any other human being. I am indeed a wretched example of a man. Is God attempting to motivate me towards some special plan he has for my life? Does He expect some action from me in return for the extraordinary proof provided that He exists?
So by "going public" I am attempting to put God on the spot. If he has special expectations from me I do not think I can achieve these expectations without his help. With God's help, well, the preachers preach that all things are possible. I am asking God to help me to achieve that which he seems to expect of me. Even with God's help, I do not think my task will be easy, however it then might be within the realm of possibility.
Absent this sign, perhaps God still has expectations of me, however perhaps these expectations are not as enormous as I now feel they might be. Perhaps the reason He has granted me "special attention" is that I am especially worthy of pity or something. Perhaps He only wants to motivate me to live a "good" life and nothing more. I think that I can achieve, as long as He does not expect "perfection" out of me or something - grin.
posted by Little David at 7/30/2007 06:45:00 AM
2 Comments:
Hey David,
I totally dig your message. Just one remark - where does it say that God is under any obligation to help you? :)
Cheers,
Boris.
I did not seek to imply an "obligation" existed.
I have only been attempting to understand why God would provide me proof that He exists and deny such proof to others. Why me? There is nothing "holy" about me that I deserve such proof.
So, I came to the conclusion that the proof was provided because He had special expectations of me. However if he expects something of me that He does not expect of the "average" human....? Well I decided that by myself I am incapable of doing anything significant. If God expects me to have any real impact on something, well He better be ready to lend me a hand accomplishing it. If he expects me to accomplish something without his help, he picked the wrong guy.
It is not that I will be unwilling to make an attempt without his help. I will still try. It is just that my attempts, in my judgement, will not yield any fruit.
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