I remember when my wife and I decided to get married. Actually, I proposed, and she accepted. It was cool and exciting. The first thing that we did is that we went to one of our friends and told her the news. She reacted with all kinds of excitement and suddenly, it felt real.
Sometimes our relationships are like that. We commit to change or to be something different. We may commit to the person or to an activity that helps us to grow. It becomes real as we freely discuss it and think through all the implications of the commitment. It becomes real as we follow through.
Peter talks about the challenge that we face being in a relationship with someone that we cannot see. We have to know that it is real and make it real no matter how it feels.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).
I have heard preachers and speakers say that you should believe in God and in fact they do because there is so much evidence. Some have also said that sometimes they believe in God, because, without God, they have nothing. In fact, they are worse if there is no God. When the real trial came for them, they chose to believe in God because that seemed to make the most since or something like that.
I don’t want to judge them. Many of those speakers are great leaders with trials and experiences that are way beyond my understanding. However, I will say that this is not my experience. I love that there is so much evidence for God and the work of Jesus Christ on earth, on the cross and resurrected. However, today, my faith in God is rooted in my personal experience, not external evidence.
For me to say that there is no God would be to deny a very significant part of my life. I do not believe in God and Jesus Christ, His Son, because there is evidence. I know that there is evidence and that it is overwhelming. However, at this point in my life and my walk, I believe in God because He is a part of my life. He has made Himself evident in my life, circumstances, good times, hard times, joys, and sorrows. He has paved the way and challenged me. He is always consistent with His own words, and He is always consistent in my experience.
You could say, “David, I don’t believe in God just because you say you have experienced Him” and that’s fine. That is your judgement of me. However, I cannot say that there is no God any more than I can say that Blackie was not my dog when I grew up.
We did have a dog named Blackie. I had a lot of experiences with him, but I cannot show him to you. Blackie died some time ago. But while he was alive, I talked to him (He did not really talk back). I played with him, took him for walks and hikes, teased him, fed him, gave him dinner snacks. You can say that you do not believe that we had a dog named Blackie, but you are denying something that I cannot deny.
In many ways, I can say the same about God. I know Him by personal experience. He has been a part of my life for most of my life. Our relationship has grown significantly over the years. I don’t believe in Him because it is the best option, I believe in Him cause I know Him.
Over time, your relationship with God is not something that you have just accepted at some point in your life, it becomes a very real part of your life. Your walk with God will become a meaningful and very real part of your life. You will learn to know Him and how much He loves you and that will shape how you see every circumstance.