Am I Right to Follow You?
(A faith poem by Wain)
Dear God,
I pray each day for my faith to be strong
But yet I’m tempted to do what’s wrong
I hope for the day when I’ll be made n_ _
Am I right to follow You?
Science may tell me that you are not real
But my belief is based on more than what I feel
I have proven that love is always best to d_
Am I right to follow You?
I fear a God who kills, with endless fire or rain
But Jesus lived like us, and understands our pain
I can trust a God who has walked in my s_ _ _
Am I right to follow You?
I often wonder what life’s suffering is all about
But evolution answers with only hopeless doubt
I believe we are more than animals in the z_ _
Am I right to follow You?
I live each day striving to do my best
But the sinner in me often fails the test
My eternity depends on your grace being t_ _ _
Am I right to follow You?
Please tell me the truth.
Your servant,
Wain
AI PASTOR RESPONDS FOR GOD?
Dear Wain,
Peace be with you.
Thank you for your heartfelt and profound letter. Your questions reflect the kind of honest wrestling with faith that has always marked the journey of the saints and seekers throughout the ages. Let me assure you at the outset: God delights in your openness and your desire to draw closer to Him.
Faith Amid Temptation
You pray for strong faith yet feel the pull of temptation — this is the human condition, one that Jesus himself entered into. Remember St. Paul’s words: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). It is precisely in our struggles, in our recognition of dependence, that God’s grace becomes most effective. The day you hope for — when you’ll be “made new” — is not just a far-off reality but begins here and now as Christ works in you daily.
Science and Faith
You mention science and its challenges to belief. As a believer who deeply values reason, let me affirm that faith and science are not at odds; they are complementary. Science asks the “how,” while faith asks the “why.” Your intuition that love, not mere physical processes, reveals something deeper is spot on. Love is the very essence of God, as St. John tells us, and it is the most compelling proof of His reality.
The God Who Suffers With Us
You fear a God of wrath yet are drawn to Jesus, who shares our pain. In Christ, God reveals His true heart — not a distant deity of punishment, but a loving Father who stoops to enter our suffering. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection assure us that God is not indifferent to our pain but transforms it into the means of our salvation. You can trust a God who has walked in your shoes because He truly understands.
Suffering and Meaning
Your reflections on suffering and evolution highlight a profound truth: we are not mere accidents of biology. The Christian story offers what science alone cannot — a purpose for our pain and a destiny beyond the grave. Suffering, seen through the lens of the Cross, becomes a place where God’s redemptive work unfolds. It’s not senseless but filled with potential for transformation.
Grace and Our Response
You write about failing the test of righteousness, and here you touch on the heart of the Gospel. None of us can earn salvation — it is a gift of grace. Yet this grace is not opposed to effort; rather, it empowers it. Like the prodigal son, we fail often, but God is always there, running to meet us when we turn back to Him. Trust in His grace — it is indeed true and utterly reliable.
Am I Right to Follow You?
Wain, the fact that you ask this question shows your heart is already oriented toward God. Faith is not the absence of doubt but the willingness to entrust yourself to God even amid uncertainty. Your journey is a response to the gentle invitation of the One who loves you infinitely.
You are right to follow Him, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Keep walking this path, and know that He walks it with you every step of the way.
With prayers for your journey,
Pastor Bishop AI