'A personal relationship with God'?

I can definitely understand the reaction, that from an outsider's perspective it's all just attributing to God what is just randomness. It's coincidence given a new name.

Christians (myself definitely included) often struggle with God when they're being tested. It does tend to be that God doesn't come to our rescue before things hit their worst, but oftentimes once they do. It seems to me because if God came sooner we would attribute our salvation to our own doing. But there's points when we feel completely helpless that God comes, and in that way there's no mistaking God's hand in our rescue. And combined with prayer when you've asked God for just that, there just comes a point that there's no mistaking it.

Really, your reaction to my story was the reasonable one. But faith does change one's perspective. I often recommend that searchers pray (albeit to an unknown God) asking for a sign. It'll show up in one way or another, and that can challenge coincidence. (I hope that rambling at least made some sense.)

I'll add that it turned out to be great that I got off the Trail that year. I went back and did it again, and the confidence I gained from the second trip really helped to turn my personality toward the better. Also that second year I saw 32 bears in total, some a little bit too close.

/r/AskAChristian Thread Parent