I was asked the other day how I know that my God is the one God. Almost every culture has its own god, so how could I be so sure. The question came from someone who is very curious. It was not asked in a critical or judgmental way. Admittedly, my first thought was, “because the Bible says so.” Guess what, every group that worships a different god has their own bible that says the same thing.
So, I have been pondering this question, while searching out people who are smarter than I am, trying to find a better response.
I have grown up in a culture that recognizes God as the divine authority. “In God we trust” is printed on our currency. “One nation under God” is part of our pledge of allegiance. We use BC and AD to talk about events before Christ and after His death, albeit there is a group trying to change this. There are Christian principles in our own constitution. However, recently much of this has begun to change. There are movements to remove these words from our pledge and our currency. It is often offensive to mention religion at all. Christian principles used to be the recognized moral compass in our society. There was a standard, a code. That is also changing. Truth is becoming relative. It is fluid.
God’s truth doesn’t change. He is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. So, to answer the question as best I can, here is what I know to be true about God.
God created the heavens and the earth, and I see His fingerprints everywhere I look. In the trees that lose their leaves in the fall and regrow them in the spring. In the mountains, the rivers that flow and the animals that feed off the land. In the beauty of a woman growing a baby in her belly. In the unique snowflakes that fall quietly to the ground. In the hearts of those who help anyone with a need.
1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. In love, He created the world around us and each of us. We have been made in His image. Have you ever created anything? A piece of art, a blanket, a bird house. Did you not love your creation when you were finished with it? God loves us so much more and longs for us to turn to Him.
John 20:29 says, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” It is easy to believe something that we see. I say that, and yet, not everyone who walked the earth with Jesus believed Him. The very definition of faith is having total confidence even when we can’t see and don’t understand.
God the Son came to earth to save us. When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in a garden and gave them free will. There was only one rule. They broke that rule. They sinned. God gave them a choice because He didn’t create robots or puppets. Since God is perfect, man could no longer live in the garden with Him. Yet, that isn’t the end. God didn’t give up. He didn’t quit on us. God designed another way for us to get to Heaven. Since that day in the garden, He has been trying to draw us back to Him. He sent Jesus to shed His blood on the cross to atone for our sins. Jesus saves us. How many of us would willingly face the horrible death that Jesus faced for someone we loved? Jesus did it even for those who mock His name. That is love.
When I started college, I was planning to become a lawyer. I have watched enough Matlock to know that anyone who wanted to could poke a lot of holes in my arguments; however, what I have realized is that I can’t prove to anyone that God exists. God is omnipotent, He is the Creator, the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning and the end. If He hasn’t done enough to prove Himself, there isn’t anything I can say or do to sway another person’s opinion.
But, oh, I wish I could. I wish that for just one second, you could see, truly see what God has done for me. No, He hasn’t answered every prayer and life hasn’t been a bed of roses. However, He has been true to His word. He has walked every difficult path with me. He has prompted others to help me. He has blessed me in ways that I am sure I didn’t even recognize at the time. Why? Just like every artist loves what he has created, God treasures His creation. He loves us in immeasurable ways.
With Eyes on the Cross 