Believe

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Anyone who wants to approach God - MUST believe...

That MUST is an imperative - not a 'caution' or 'advice'. It is meant to give us a positive direction we can follow. If we want to approach God - to enjoy and appreciate his presence in our lives, we MUST believe two things. Before we get into those two things, let's begin by fully understanding the word 'believe'. It carries the idea of having confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so. We don't 'see' God, but we believe he exists. We don't hear his audible voice, but we believe he speaks. We don't know his beginning, but we believe he is without beginning or end. We don't have to fully understand to believe - we just have to accept truth and place our confidence in it.

For some this may seem like a real 'leap' because it is hard to believe in something you cannot see or feel. There needs to be 'substance' to whatever they will believe in, so let me share a few things to help those who need 'substance'. Look at the ground upon which you stand today - the literal soil. Then look beneath the surface of that soil - observing worms, ants, grubs, and the like. Look at the things growing from that soil - grass, trees, bushes, and even weeds. Look at the sky and the airplane that cuts a trail across the vast expanse. Look at the gentle breeze catching the leaves, causing the loveliest of rippling tones and gently tugging your hair in tiny wisps. You have just observed - seen and felt - God. Look around and observe the creation - the work of the Creator of all things.

We must believe he exists - we see evidence of his existence all around us. We cannot deny the infinite greatness of his power when we consider all these things. Some will say the 'big bang' created all of this, but I have to think that all those 'equations' as to how evolution occurred actually bring us back to one singular event or moment. Scripture, on the other hand, points us back to that one singular moment when God said, "Let there be....", and there was! I can believe that - have confidence in the existence of a God so loving that he'd create such a beautiful place for his creation. We begin this journey of faith by believing God is and then we believe he actually cares for those of us who seek to know him. 

Believe he is and then believe he cares for us. Two very simple thoughts, but for some these will be the hardest of 'concepts' to grasp. Why? Believing in what cannot be totally understood is hard for some. I don't know how my car engine works, but I believe it will propel my SUV from here to the store each and every time I need to replenish my groceries. I don't understand completely how the air I breathe actually is able to sustain life totally, but I know one breath in and one breath out leads to the next - interrupt that cycle and it gets difficult to sustain life. I don't understand fully the ups and downs of the stock market, but I know when it is up my savings looks healthier than when it is down!

Believing isn't always prefaced with full understanding - sometimes it is just a trust thing. We have to trust the one who is fully and completely truth. Then we can come into the place where we begin to trust he will care for those he cares so deeply about so as to have not only created them, but everything required to sustain them each and every day. Just sayin!