Nicodemus, the Cautious Convert
04/21/09 05:13 Filed in: Faith
We all have questions for God. Like Nicodemus in today’s Gospel, we have to be willing to express our questions in order to learn and grow in faith. Questioning is an inherent part of any dialog and the very thing that changes our prayer from a monolog to a conversation with God.
“Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?” (John 3: 7b-15)
There is a little bit of Nicodemus in all of us. Like the Pharisee who approached Jesus at night, we harbor questions of our own. Questions such as, “God, why don't You stop pain and suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where are You, Lord, when I need You? What is Your will for my life?” and "What did I ever do to deserve this?"
We all have questions for God. And, like Nicodemus, we have to be willing to express those questions in order to learn and grow in faith. Questioning is an inherent part of any dialog and the very thing that changes our prayer from a monolog to a conversation with God. Talk to God. Put your questions to Him just as Nicodemus did, even if it means starting with the statement, “I don’t know if You’re listening or whether You even care about what I have to say, but . . .”
Don’t allow your doubts to paralyze your prayer life. Skepticism can become an excuse for doing nothing. It doesn’t solve anything. One sure way to get beyond negativity is to make a list each day of the things you are grateful for; then ask God how He wants you to share your blessings.
Nicodemus did not come to believe immediately. He was a cautious convert. He clung to his old ideas and tried to defend them at first. But he continued to follow Jesus at a safe distance. He surrounded himself with positive thinkers, learned from them and gradually came to believe. In the end, it was Nicodemus who stepped forward in faith on calvary.
There is a little bit of Nicodemus in all of us. Like the Pharisee who approached Jesus at night, we harbor questions of our own. Questions such as, “God, why don't You stop pain and suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where are You, Lord, when I need You? What is Your will for my life?” and "What did I ever do to deserve this?"
We all have questions for God. And, like Nicodemus, we have to be willing to express those questions in order to learn and grow in faith. Questioning is an inherent part of any dialog and the very thing that changes our prayer from a monolog to a conversation with God. Talk to God. Put your questions to Him just as Nicodemus did, even if it means starting with the statement, “I don’t know if You’re listening or whether You even care about what I have to say, but . . .”
Don’t allow your doubts to paralyze your prayer life. Skepticism can become an excuse for doing nothing. It doesn’t solve anything. One sure way to get beyond negativity is to make a list each day of the things you are grateful for; then ask God how He wants you to share your blessings.
Nicodemus did not come to believe immediately. He was a cautious convert. He clung to his old ideas and tried to defend them at first. But he continued to follow Jesus at a safe distance. He surrounded himself with positive thinkers, learned from them and gradually came to believe. In the end, it was Nicodemus who stepped forward in faith on calvary.
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