Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache

by Granger Smith

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He said, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). I’ve often wondered why He didn’t just give us bread that would last a lifetime. I’ve come to realize that we need to be renewed day by day. It’s how we’re wired. The longer we drive around with a full fuel tank, the longer we don’t need to refuel at the station. And the longer we stay away from the station, the less connected we are with the Source. And when we become disconnected from the Source, well, hopefully by now you can see where I’m going with this.

I can hear your question already, “But how do I come to Him?” Maybe you’re a Dog-Tag Christian like I was, and you’re confused as to why you don’t feel saved or why you see no difference in your life than a nonbeliever. Maybe at some point in your life you repeated the Sinner’s Prayer and asked Jesus into your heart. There’s one problem with that: repeating the Sinner’s Prayer isn’t biblical. It creates a false sense of salvation. What if you committed murder and I marched you over to the victim’s mother and asked you to repeat a prayer of repentance to gain her forgiveness? That would be ridiculous.