The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.
Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT)
It is easy to believe in God. We see his handiwork in all of creation. All of nature points to a purposeful, thoughtful, powerful, and intelligent creator. When we delve into the vastness of the universe, or the microscopic world, our minds are blown.
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Romans 1:20 (NLT)
It is easy to believe in God. So, why is it so hard?
The prior verse is framed with a glimpse into the truth of our corrupted nature.
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them… Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
Romans 1:18-19,21 (NLT)
When we don’t acknowledge God (worship) the truth is suppressed. Instead of living in thankfulness, we rationalize our behaviors and beliefs, our thoughts become darkened, and chaos reigns.
What are we meant to see? What can we learn about God through creation? Two of his qualities are listed: eternal power, and divine nature.
Eternal – lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning. God’s power is without beginning or end. The earth is not eternal, yet it is created and sustained by God’s power.
Divine – of or relating to God. We see in creation God’s divine nature. We can only attribute creation to God. Every other explanation falls short. Are these explanations the “foolish ideas” scripture refers to? In another translation verse 22 of Romans 1 says, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” In our estimation we are wise as we theorize the science of the universe.
How do we get back to the ease of belief?
Jesus explains:
At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.”
Matthew 11:25 (NLT)
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
Childlike faith is simple and uncomplicated. Maybe that is where we struggle. Childlike faith involves trust and safety.
It’s easy to believe in God, so why is it so hard to embrace and absorb all that He has for us? That’s what I want to explore in my next post.
In the mean time, I’ll leave you a quote from Charlie in The Santa Clause: That’s okay, Neil. You were just denying your inner child.
Grace & Peace,
Sandy
- Image by Guillaume Preat from Pixabay
- Image by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay
- Image by protowink from Pixabay
The Far Reaches of Grace 