God is Real

Photo by Taylor Simpson on Unsplash

Do you have a hard time believing that God is real? It is nothing to be ashamed of. I grew up in the church and I believe in God. But thinking of God as real, well, that feels like something completely different, doesn’t it? (It isn’t just me, is it? I hope not!)

As humans, we have this tendency to think that “seeing is believing”. I’ve heard this phrase a lot in my life. I am sure you have too. It is an idiom that dates back to 1639 and it means “only physical or concrete evidence is convincing”. For many things in life, I can understand this way of thinking. There is certainly a case to be made for it. And, no doubt, I am sure there are multiple areas in life where this way of thinking makes sense. But what about when it comes to God?

I don’t know about you, but when I think of God, I think of Him in an abstract fashion. Initially, what comes into my mind is a great, big, all-knowing, all-seeing entity.  And, I do think God is that, but I believe Him to be triune. That means, I believe that He is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus was the human form that Father God sent to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus was the human form. But, I wasn’t around to see Jesus in the flesh. Maybe if I was, it would be easier to believe in God. Then again, maybe not. What do you think?

I mean, can we really trust what we see? If you lived in Jesus’ time and saw Him and talked to Him and watched Him perform miracles, would you believe in Him then? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Stop and really think about it. If you saw Jesus give sight to a blind man, would you believe your eyes? Would you think that Jesus performed a miracle? Or, was He just fooling you, putting on a show, pulling your leg? No one can make a blind man see. Surely, what you witnessed was not real! Or, was it?

Can we really trust our eyes? Honestly, no, no we can’t. (But we can trust Jesus!)   

Psychology experts tell us that our senses can be tricked. Our eyes can be unreliable. Police tend to discount eyewitness testimony because they know that it is the weakest link between a crime and the criminal. Laboratory test results are much more precise. The witness of a crime could tell you that they saw a white male commit the crime. But, DNA evidence left at the scene of the crime tells us very specifically who that person was.

So, back to God. Is God real? You can’t specifically see Him. Even if you could see Him, can you trust your own eyes?

I know and believe God is real. But, how do I know? I have felt His presence, I have heard His voice, literally heard His voice, and I have observed His miracles. And, while I have never actually seen Him in the flesh per say, I have seen others who radiate His love and do His work here on earth. I see Christ through others. I also see His existence in everything around me, each and every day. I see God in sunrises and sunsets, oceans, prairies, and flowers. I see His fingerprint on all of creation.

It’s funny, as I type this out two TobyMac songs pop into my head, Feel It and Everything. Some of the lyrics to Feel It go like this, “Oh, I feel it in my heart, I feel it in my soul, That’s how I know.” Some of the lyrics to Everything tell us, “I see You in everything, all day, And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me.” (If you haven’t listened to TobyMac yet, please do yourself a favor and stop and listen to some of his songs. He is one of my favorite artists. But, I digress…)

Now, I know that just because I say and truly believe God is real doesn’t mean that you do. But, I want you to know God and to believe in God and one day say that you know He is real too. That is a huge reason as to why I write this blog. So, I must tell you another reason I know God is real and why I believe in Him; I have faith.

Faith can be confusing, but it is a basic tenet of Christianity. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews says, “Not-seeing is believing.” In other words, we do not believe what we see; rather, we believe what we do not see. And, that is what faith is all about! Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Jesus told doubting Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

In the Bible, Peter also writes about faith. 1 Peter 1:7-9 says, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.  The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

Faith is choosing to believe, it is a choice. And, I choose to believe.

If you are just coming across my blog for the first time, I encourage you to go back and read some of my older posts. Maybe you will find some that resonate with you. To get you started, here are some of my favorites: How Do You Get to Heaven?, He Is Risen!, Are You A Fighter?, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Grow Up, Masticate on This!, and Fear God?

God is most definitely real. And, I hope that you find Him soon for yourself. It will be the best thing you could ever do!