We all face the same choice: we either believe (have faith) that God exists or believe (have faith) that he does not! It is the most important choice of our lives: What shall we believe? The question requires contemplative thought and intentional action. How shall we live our lives? Although knowing the answer to this question not only determines our daily choices but determines our eternal destination, many do not think much about it! Thinking about God usually only enters people’s minds when things go wrong. It is quite ironic that people who claim they do not believe in God question where he is when things go wrong in their lives. By questioning God’s whereabouts, they indicate that they are, indeed, looking for God—a God, who by their own proclamation does not exist!
We are all looking for God, but people who wonder where God is (when things go wrong in their lives) will never find him. God is everywhere, but we will not see him until we believe that he is there. It seems backwards. We want to find God and then believe he exists, but it just does not happen that way. The key to finding God is faith. My friend Merriam Webster has several definitions of faith, but my favorite is this: a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Why is that my favorite? Because it sounds so ridiculous! . . . but Merriam is right. The writer of Hebrews explains it clearly: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”1
No one can prove that God exists. We can only believe (have faith) that he does or believe (have faith) that he does not. It is absolutely our choice, and our choice has consequences: if we believe God exists and sent Jesus to save us, God adopts us into his family and we become joint heirs with Jesus in his kingdom and live forever in that kingdom and, in the meantime, have access to his divine power. It’s a pretty awesome deal!
Why would so many people refuse that kind of deal? They do not believe (have faith) in the consequences of not believing in God. They do not think about God nor look for God when things go well. As long as things are going well for people, they need no help from God. They often laugh when they hear that Jesus came to save them. Their response is Save us from what? Things are going well!
But when things go wrong? That’s when people cry out: Where is God? The answer is always the same: he is everywhere, but can only be seen by people who believe in him. We who have faith in God should consider ourselves equipped with a super power—which is actually quite accurate if you think about it. We see God where others do not, and this changes everything. We look for God and we find him because we know he is there. Others look for God and do not find him because they do not believe he is there.
Even we who believe often do not have faith in God. On multiple occasions Jesus turned to his disciples (the ones who believed—had faith—in him) and said, “O you of little faith.”2 We of little faith wonder at times—not if God exists—but if he is paying attention to us. When we begin to wonder about this, we worry needlessly about things, and when we worry, we are placing our faith in something other than God—which should cause us to worry! For only God is faithful—worthy of our faith.
The intent of our lives should be to look for God at all times, in any circumstance, and in every place. If we truly have faith that God is there, we will find him, and when we find him, we are at rest, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”3
1Hebrews 11:6 2Matthew 8:26 3Philippians 4:7