Jesus Is Here For All Of Us

Jesus Does Not Respond To Everything

Like any good Jewish boy, I’ve seen my share of Steven Spielberg movies. He is extremely talented, but as a boy was embarrassed at times to admit he was Jewish. However, in his 2022 semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans, he depicts a young Jewish boy named Sammy as himself.  Sammy is great with a camera, but as a teenager just wants to be accepted by his peers.

There is a scene with Sammy and a girl which made me break out into laughter, and at the same time question how we should pray to Jesus.

Sammy is not a believer in Christ. However, he will say almost anything to the girl who has invited him to pray with her.

Upon the girl pleading with Sammy to ask Jesus into his heart, he insincerely yells out for Jesus to show him a sign.

In response, the girl says, “You can’t ask Jesus to do tricks to impress you.”

Jesus Is About Faith

I do believe Jesus will answer your prayers sometimes, if he deems it the right prayer and the appropriate situation. No, he is not going to do carnival tricks or be a magician like David Copperfield. But, if you come with a sincere heart and thirst for knowledge, well yes, I believe Jesus can show you something to change your heart.

Now, before I go further, I have to say I’m not a theologian. I have faith but I am far from an expert in scripture.

The past few months I’ve been hanging out on different Christian Facebook groups and engaging in debates with other members. This has been fruitless and unfortunately, very disappointing.

I have seen a great amount of hate in these communities. Hang out there long enough, you will find people who know the bible back and forth and aren’t afraid to show off their knowledge. If you try to persuade them otherwise, they may even say you’re going straight to hell.

I mention this because I want to bring you my faith and love for Christ as well as my love for all people of any religion. I still love the parts of me I consider Jewish, though after professing my love for a Jewish Carpenter, many may want to reject me.

God’s Presence Changed Me

After my loving father passed from Covid a few years ago, faith eluded me. I kept trying to find peace by reading contemporary Christian books but walked away hopeless. Some even said my father would spend the rest of time in hell because he was not a Christian.

I had an awful time dealing with that as I wanted both of us to be at peace. The love of Jesus has always appealed more to me than the alleged consequences of not following him, so on an Easter weekend I sincerely prayed for Jesus to quell my doubts.

I am so thankful he was listening and showed me how loving he can be. Not only was that Easter full of opportunities for myself to help people in trouble, but a phone call from my mother made things clearer.

She told me she had emptied my dad’s wallet of all its belongings some time ago, but a note appeared in it this morning. My mom is far from forgetful and has gone through the wallet many times, as it makes her feel close to her husband. The note though was there.

It was a note from my father expressing how much he loved me.  And that has changed everything.

Some wise people may say I was doing the same thing as Sam Fabelman, or it was just an unusual set of circumstances coming together.

I know what happened and I know my father is at peace. I also know Jesus is alive and working wonders in today’s world.

On my morning drive today, I saw a banner at the Life Church which made me think. It said, “God’s Presence changes everything.”