Thursday, January 5, 2012

A God without Limits: A Short Reflection on Time, Space, and the Maker

One of the common gibes of atheists against the efficacy of prayer is that God could not possibly hear the cries of millions of people calling to Him at the same time with their needs. They argue that God could not possibly listen to every single prayer of every single Christian – rendering prayer useless.
This belief reflects a fundamental misunderstanding common among many atheists – namely, the idea that any form of god must be limited by time and space, as humans are.
But God, unlike man, is not limited by time. He is outside of time – meaning that He does not have to listen to millions of prayers “all at once,” so to speak. Indeed, Christians believe that God created time itself, and is the master of time.
Even if He were limited by time (which He is not), that would not necessarily mean that He would be limited in His ability to hear the cries of millions. Christians also believe that God is omnipresent – he is everywhere at once. Such a God, present everywhere, could easily process the prayers of millions.  
Only a conception of God limited by time – namely, that he is constrained by time and space – could make the mistake that God would not hear millions of prayers “at once.” 
But Christians are not so credulous to believe in a humanized God made in man’s own image: we believe in a God without limits, maker of and master of time and space. Such a God could easily hear the prayers of millions, and listen to each one in their turn, as a loving father listens to his children.

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