Does It matter which God

Mind Bender

Taking A Byte Out Of Lies

Does It Matter Which God You Call To?

Q's: "People often pray to a 'God' in hard times. Is everyone having conversations with the same God? Does it matter which God you call to? Are there false gods?"

Our A: People today like to believe that whoever you are praying to is fine. It doesn't matter if it's a Hindu god, a saint, Jesus, or Allah. The important thing is that you are praying, right? Does it matter which God you call to? Yes! What if someone believed that a cactus could come to their aid? Is it likely that the cactus will come through for them? Can it analyze their situation? Know the needs of the person? Care about the person? And choose the wisest course of action to take on their behalf?

What if someone (true story) describes their higher power as a particular 57 Chevy, sitting in their driveway? What abilities does that car possess? Any intelligence? Any power other than the man made engine under the hood or gravity's effect on it? Can that car actually come to their aid? Of course not. The only benefit gained from faith in either the cactus or the car is a misguided hope, a psychological boost.

Moving into some politically incorrect areas now...what if a person refers to God as Jesus or Allah or Buddha or Brahma or Mother Earth or themselves? Does it matter? Absolutely!

It's fine to say that a person can benefit from any "god" they choose to hope in. Even a false god can bring to the person's mind at least a temporary peace, encouragement and hope. But what if that "god" does not exist? It's like praying into thin air. Harmless? Yes, this is fine...as long as there is no real God. But as soon as a real, definite God comes into the picture, then the person runs into problems. Why?

Because the God Who Is might expect that everyone should be able to recognize that He is a supremely, vastly powerful God who created this universe, a God who created them, and One who expects to be acknowledged by them. And maybe to recognize that this God Who Is Really There is the only one who can really help them.

A person can pray to a car or a cactus or to anybody or anything they want, but the God of the Bible says this...

"All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced." (Isaiah 45:16)
"I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God." (Isaiah 45:5)
"It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts." (Isaiah 45:12)

No Other God's Before Me

The Bible also says...

"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." (Nahum 1:7)
"The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love." (Psalms 33:18)
"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In Conclusion....

If you are wanting a secure hope, you need to choose the God who exists! How can we know this is the real God? We know by looking at the facts, by looking at what God has revealed about Himself. For help, see the article Beyond Blind Faith or other articles on this site.

Find out more....Who Is This God?

You may want to understand more about God the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit>

To grow in your knowledge of God and His will for your life, read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Bible. Follow this link and start with John

For info on having a relationship with God, see Knowing God Personally.

What Does God Look Like

Got Questions?

GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.

We will do our best to prayerfully and thoroughly research your question and answer it in a biblically based manner. It is not our purpose to make you agree with us, but rather to point you to what the Bible says concerning your question. You can be assured that your question will be answered by a trained and dedicated Christian who loves the Lord and desires to assist you in your walk with Him. Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, biblical counselors, Bible/Christian college students, seminary students, and lay students of God's Word.

Who Is This Jesus?

IMbeggar

IMbeggar is about finding new, different, creative, positive, entertaining, hard-hitting, and most importantly, accessible ways to talk about God (without being preachy, judge-y, didactic, sappy or boring… we hope). Whether you are part of the choir, on the fringe, angry-annoyed-fallen away, still searching, or just struggling to figure it all out like the rest of us… you're in the right place. We ask the questions we all ask, address the obstacles we all face, and present an opportunity to re-consider, or maybe even re-discover, God. The door is open, the choice is yours. See more about Imbeggar

Does It Matter Which God?