30 May | Youth
«The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”» Psalm 53:1
Many atheists are more religious than some Christians. Normally, they are not individuals without faith, but rather people whose attention has diverted from the goodness of God to secondary matters, such as the faults of the church or human contradictions. These could have been some of the reasons why this Adventist boy left the church.
It was a winter Sunday, and I (Júlio) had just given a presentation on Christian education at an event for leaders in Shocco Springs, United States. A lady came to me, worried, because her son was finishing high school and would soon start studying far from home, probably at the university where I worked as a professor.
“My son doesn’t believe in God, pastor!”, she said with sadness. “Some time ago he told me that, for him, God does not exist.” I saw the disappointment and sorrow in that mother's eyes. She felt guilty. Who wouldn’t? “Pastor, I made a mistake. I taught my son to go to church, I didn't teach him to love God!”
There were tears in her eyes. Sometime later, after her son's confession, she was not in good health. She had severe headaches, and nodules began to appear under her scalp. Everything indicated that they were malignant tumors. She asked her son to take her to the hospital.
Before leaving, however, she begged him to pray for her. His prayer went something like this: “God, You know I don’t believe in You, but my mother believes that You care about her and that You can heal her. So, if You exist, hear her plea. I don't want to lose her. I need her. Please!” The atheist's voice, choked up, could not contain his emotion. Pain and despair had overcome him... or it could have been the Holy Spirit working in his heart, as He always does. Then a miracle happened.
If God didn't hear the prayers of unbelieving people, he wouldn't hear yours or mine. Let's face it, our faith is not perfect, but it is there. The same applies to some atheists too. Doubt and faith can coexist for a while, however contradictory it may seem! The Psalm 53 says that “they have together become corrupt” and “there is none who does good, no, not one.” (v. 3). Today God invites us to doubt less and believe more. People touched by Heaven go through this transformation. Do you want to have this experience? If you open your heart and cry out to the Lord, He will certainly hear you!