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document.write('<h2>He Has Spoken Through the Prophets</h2><p><em><strong><a href="http://www.richmaffeobooks.com">by Rich Maffeo</a></');
document.write('strong></em></p><p><em>For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you he');
document.write('ard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its');
document.write(' work in you who believe.</em> (1 Thessalonians 2:13)</p><p>Walter, a nursing assistant on my staff, was in the middle ');
document.write('of his complaint when I entered the room. "Life has no purpose," he said.</p><p>I slipped into my seat at the table whe');
document.write('re the rest of the day crew waited for the night nurse to join us for change-of-shift report.</p><p>"It\'s meaningless,"');
document.write(' he continued. "We live, and then we die."</p><p>I\'m not usually at a loss for words, but this time was different. I kn');
document.write('ew Walter claimed to be an atheist, but I puzzled why a 20-year-old man held such somber sentiments about life. By the t');
document.write('ime I recovered enough to introduce my opinion into the gloom hovering about us, the night nurse breezed through the doo');
document.write('r, sat down and began the summary of her patients. I held my tongue -- and kicked myself for letting the opportunity wit');
document.write('h Walter slip by.</p><p>As her report wound to a close, the door behind me opened. Without looking up, I knew it was th');
document.write('e hospital chaplain. He joined us each morning for a brief reading of Scripture and prayer. He took his seat behind me a');
document.write('nd waited for the nurse to conclude. When she stood to leave, I invited those who wanted to stay for the meditation to r');
document.write('emain. As I expected, Walter left.</p><p>"I had planned to read something else," Chaplain Bernard started, "but earlier');
document.write(' this morning, I decided to share thoughts about this passage, instead."</p><p>I recognized Psalm 139 as soon as he sta');
document.write('rted reading. I shifted in my chair and stared at him, keenly aware God had orchestrated the change of his text.</p><p>');
document.write('"O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from ');
document.write('afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. . . If I ascend to heave');
document.write('n, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the r');
document.write('emotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me . . . You formed my ');
document.write('inward parts; You wove me in my mother\'s womb" (Psalm 139:1-3, 8-10, 13 NASB).</p><p>The silence that followed when he ');
document.write('closed the Bible and finished his prayer lasted only a moment. It seemed like a week. Finally, another nursing assistant');
document.write(' said, "It\'s too bad Walter wasn\'t here to hear that."</p><p>I regret that he, and those who left the room with him, di');
document.write('dn\'t hear the Holy Spirit\'s response to Walter\'s desperate world-view. Life does have purpose -- because the Triune God ');
document.write('has a personal hand in our lives. </p><p>But, I wonder if it would have mattered to Walter.</p><p>Throughout history, ');
document.write('the Holy Spirit has spoken to humanity through His prophets and apostles. But for those like Walter who reject the super');
document.write('natural or scoff at the idea that God communicates through Scripture, the words of the prophets and apostles are no diff');
document.write('erent from the words we read in our newspaper.</p><p>It\'s no wonder the Walters of the world think life has no purpose ');
document.write('or hope.</p><p>When we recite: "We believe in the Holy Spirit . . . He has spoken through the prophets," we do more tha');
document.write('n express our conviction that the words of Scripture are divinely inspired. We confess our confidence that the Holy Spir');
document.write('it still speaks through those same prophets and apostles, and that His words give all who believe hope in despair, guida');
document.write('nce in confusion, peace in turmoil.</p><p>Prayer: <em>Holy Spirit, I believe You spoke through the prophets. Increase m');
document.write('y faith to believe You speak to me through the Scriptures. Increase my sensitivity to Your voice and my obedience to fol');
document.write('low You into truth. Amen.</em></p><p>Reflection by Richard Maffeo<br />Excerpted from his book, <u>We Believe: Forty Me');
document.write('ditations on the Nicene Creed</u>.  Available at <a href="http://www.richmaffeobooks.com">www.RichMaffeoBooks.com</a> or');
document.write(' all bookstores.</p><hr><p>Life Applications:</p><p>How does it feel to suffer "spiritual loneliness"?<br />Why do you');
document.write(' think that Jesus chose to suffer for our sins?<br />What do the words of the Nicene Creed say to you?</p><hr><p>Copyri');
document.write('ght 2009 by Richard Maffeo<br />All rights reserved.</p><hr>');