Does God Exist?

When I was younger and searching out this question I remember going out at night and finding myself looking up at the stars: what amazing pieces of evidence for God! These giant balls of gas not only have been useful for navigation and telling the seasons, they give us light in times of darkness and are a striking example of who God is. They are beautiful to just gaze at and even from a distance can touch our souls in a profound and mysterious way. Sadly, just like God, we tend to be so caught up in the stuff of life that we fail to even notice them. But whether we notice them or not, they are there night after night doing their job and reminding us that God exists! 

That God has left us evidence is actually really incredible. He is not trying to hide from us for if He wanted to, He could make it impossible for us to find Him. Rather, He wants us to seek Him out and He has left a trail that, if we are willing to follow, will lead us straight to the Bible. And it is there that we find the most compelling piece of evidence for God’s existence: Jesus. The key for us is that we don’t miss who Jesus really is like so many of the people that met Him: the Pharisees, the Teachers of the Law. The Scriptures should have led them straight to Jesus but instead their hearts were hard and missed out on the most important thing. May we learn from their example.

When we stop and considerate it, God has left us a profound amount of evidence. But evidence by itself still requires faith. Not a blind leap kind of faith but a reasonable, evidence compelling kind of faith. And even here God has left us examples that demonstrate how we all daily live by faith that certain things even exist. Gravity is one of the most powerful forces exerted on us humans. We have no actual control of it and at best can only temporarily lift its restraints. And although we have been taught since childhood that gravity exists, it is not something we can readily see or would even come up with as an explanation on our own. That our planet spins is actually something that goes beyond our everyday experience. From our human perspective it is actually a leap of faith that gravity exists. It is a conclusion based on evidence, just like faith in God.

The real question then comes down to this: are we going to let the evidence for God’s existence have an effect on our lives? If we just walk away from it and refuse to let our hearts turn to God, then we are being just as foolish as the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. Knowing God and helping others know God is an incredible ministry that we have all been called to. We have not been saved to just sit on a shelf. We are not trophies but rather tools for God to use to further act as compelling, breathing evidence of His existence. 

Here are some questions you could discuss with family and friends to help engage them in spiritual conversations: 

1. 1. What evidence have you seen for God’s existence?
   2. What are some examples of things we have evidence for but have not seen or experienced for ourselves?
   3. How has the existence of God mattered in your life?