Navigating Faith: Belief in God When Certainty is Elusive

Question: 

How can you believe in God if you aren’t 100% sure he exists?

Answer: 

What a fantastic question! It’s understandable that we may not always perceive God’s presence or hear Him as clearly as we’d like. But how can we be completely certain? Whether through spoken words or inner feelings, this is a common query, and I commend your courage in asking it.

So, here’s one of the ways that I would answer this question, and I think we have to start with the word of God because it’s by faith. I like to think about how we know God exists. It’s this question of origin. Can anything be self-existing and self-sustaining unless it is in itself supreme and outside of the power of all existence? 

What I mean by that is that there has to be something supreme over time, space, and matter that can’t be bound to those limitations. And so, for the sake of this question, that’s this whole concept of who or what God is. It has to be a supreme being who is outside the confines of natural law and order.

That’s where faith comes in. This faith, this trust, and belief in who God is. We have this Bible, or what I like to refer to as the Word of God. And here’s what it says in Hebrews Chapter 11:1 NLT:

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for. It’s the evidence of things we cannot see.” 

And then, it goes on here in Verse 3:

“By faith, we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command and that we now see, and what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” 

This depiction of faith echoes the biblical truth of 2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT: 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Despite our desire for clear understanding, God’s ways surpass our own. His chosen method of revealing Himself involves faith, as His thoughts and ways are beyond our comprehension. This necessitates trusting in Him, even when we cannot fully perceive or comprehend His actions.

In Hebrews 11:6 NLT, it tells us: 

“It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

In our current relationship with God, He has intentionally chosen not to reveal Himself in a tangible, physical sense. We cannot physically see or touch Him nor have regular audible conversations with Him in a back-and-forth dialogue. This aspect of our relationship with God emphasizes the necessity of faith and trust in His unseen presence and guidance.

But by faith, I see through creation that He exists. By faith, I see the work of His hand upon my life through surrender to Jesus Christ and seeing even signs and miracles that are evidence of this. And those are the reality of what we believe, right? 

So, faith is not blind in the sense that we’re walking in blind faith. There is this concept of a reality we see of God and who He is. It’s especially important to have a full understanding of the Word of God.

And so, my challenge to you is the challenge I received when I didn’t fully believe in God. I had someone give me a Bible with this phrase written in there. They said, “You’ll never know what’s true until you read and judge for yourself.” 

And that, personally, is what got me reading the Bible. And I can tell you, the more I read, the more I understood, and the more I believed, especially after I surrendered my heart to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And when you do that, in Matthew 6:33 NLT, Jesus says: 

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. All these other things will be added to you.” 

You can find confidence in knowing that God is exactly who He reveals Himself to be through Scripture. 

May God bless you, and thank you for posing such an insightful question.

source https://calvaryyouth.org/biblical-answers/navigating-faith-belief-in-god-when-certainty-is-elusive/