Reset

Bonnie Sala: An atheist, an agnostic, and a journalist were talking. They shared stories of people who had lost their faith in God. "Not only is God not good," they concluded, "He's not even real." I'm Bonnie Sala with Reset.

Some had asked God to save a loved one with cancer. Others pleaded with him to salvage a failing marriage or prayed for abuse to stop. All said they were met, in their words, by only steely silence.

Life holds deep pain. The Bible addresses it more than 1,000 times, speaking of when, not if, we pass through waters and fire. We naturally want relief from pain right now. Yet scripture says God is not indifferent to our suffering. The writer of the Bible Psalms says, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."

What is God really like? We don't begin with our circumstances. We begin with what God has done. We begin with Jesus' death on the cross. The Bible asks, "Since he did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?"

Never judge God's character by your circumstances. Instead, judge your circumstances by the unchanging character of God. Scripture says God is love. He showed that love by giving his son for you.

Guest (Male): As one pastor explains it, the ultimate expression of validation for God's character and promises, indeed his love for you, is the cross. You do not need any other demonstration of his approval of or commitment to you. The cross is it.

Bonnie Sala: Yes, you only need the cross. I'm Bonnie Sala. Ready to grow your faith? Discover practical tools and more at guidelines.org.