Paul the Apostle, while
preaching in the city of Athens, a city full of idols and images, said, “… he is actually not far from each one of
us …” (Acts 17:27-28) God is actually
not far from each one of us.
God is near to you and I.
If so, why do we not see him? Why do we battle with doubts
about his existence? Why does he seem irrelevant? Is there really someone
living, and near us, that we cannot see?
A friend of mine was serving in the army in Vietnam. He was
not a religious man. One night he stood waiting for a military transport to
take him back to his unit. As he stood there alone in the sweltering Vietnam
night, out of nowhere, a clear, vivid thought was impressed upon his heart. “Get to know me.” It was just that simple.
“Get
to know me.” He instantly knew it was God. He told me that was
the spark for him to begin to seek God. It wasn’t quick, the effect of that
sentence lasted about five years. He had good times and bad times. He did many
things he knew were wrong. But that one sentence spoken to his heart started it
off. Today, he is involved in proclaiming the Christian message among Native
Americans.
We can’t see God. Yet Paul says “He is actually not
far from each one of us.” How can this be?
In a nutshell, it is because God is a spirit. The things of
the spirit are not detectable by our five natural senses. The Bible teaches
there is a God who loves you and is very near you, yet we can be oblivious to Him.
For my friend in Vietnam, it was an inner thought. Just a
thought, yet it was so profound he did not forget it.
Is there a reasonable argument in favor of invisible
realities?
Yes. First of all there is Jesus. A real person who really
lived miraculously, died on a cross, rose on the third day, and was seen by
many. God showed himself up close and personal. Jesus said the spiritual realm
is real.
Another intriguing thought about the existence of the invisible
was put forth by Joseph Butler, an Anglican clergyman in the 18th
century. He used the analogy of dreams. While we sleep, while we are
unconscious of the physical world, and of our five senses, we still experience
something real.
I once had a vivid dream where I was chased and shot in the
arm by an alien weapon. I felt it. I then woke up and found that my arm was
asleep. It was profoundly real. By analogy, Butler argued, that as in the
unconsciousness of sleep, we have awareness, so too in the unconsciousness of
death we will encounter reality.
Why does every nation, even remote, primitive societies,
have religion? It is because man senses there is something real, something
beyond us. That is spiritual perception, not physical.
So what keeps us from perceiving the spiritual world? Why
are we so locked into the world of the five senses?
The Bible answer is that our sin keeps us from
perceiving and knowing God.
God is holy. We are not. Therefore there is a separation.
Christ died though, to satisfy God’s justice and anger about
our sins. If we believe in his atoning death and resurrection and his love for
us, he forgives us. Our sins are removed in God’s eyes. Our "spiritual eyes" are opened.
So, since “he is
actually not far from each one of us,” will you begin, more than ever
before, to search for him? He is worth it. He is the most wonderful person in
the universe.
Take a few minutes now, to talk to the invisible God. He is
not far from you. He loves you. Tell Him what’s on your mind.
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