Why do I believe in God?
I didn't want to be misled. I didn't want to fall for empty promises or be swayed by deceitful men twisting truth for their gain. If God loved me, I wanted Him to make it clear. It seemed only logical. If I were God, I'd do just that. But He remained silent. It felt like proof of His absence or indifference. As I pondered, I questioned why He wouldn't defend His name against the lies.
As I grew, my perspective shifted. I wasn't fully convinced, but something stirred within me. The story of Jesus Christ captured my attention. God, they said, had walked among us. He had shown Himself. The prophecies, the eyewitnesses, the doubters turned believers—these were hard to dismiss. Thomas, who doubted, touched the risen Lord. Saul, the persecutor, became Paul, the apostle, after encountering Christ. These weren't mere tales. They were testimonies. People don't die for lies. They die for truth.
Then, I considered what it would mean if God appeared to me. How would I react? The Bible speaks of free will. "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15). If God stood before me, how could I choose? His presence would overwhelm. Awe would consume me. Free will would vanish. I'd have no choice but to follow, to love, to praise.
In this light, God's seeming absence became a gift. A gift of choice. A world where His presence is felt, but not forced. Where we choose good over evil. Evil exists, yes, but it gives meaning to righteousness. "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19). If compelled by His presence, our choices wouldn't be choices at all.
Still, belief was hard. The pieces fit if the Bible was true, but I needed more. I sought indirect evidence. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Life offers few certainties. I don't know if my car's brakes will fail, yet I trust them. I needed that kind of faith in God. After much searching, I found it.
The Plain Truth of It
Belief in God isn't about seeing Him in your living room. It's about seeing His hand in the world around you. It's about the heart's conviction, not the eye's confirmation. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is a choice, a leap into the arms of the unseen.
God's presence is felt in the whispers of the wind, the grandeur of the mountains, and the quiet of the heart. It's in the love we give and receive. It's in the choice to believe. "But without faith it is impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6). Choose faith, my friend. Step into the light of belief.