Why Believe?

Why Believe?

It has been quite a while since I have posted here.  But, this morning the Lord put this topic on my heart and I figured I would share it with you.  Many people will ask why you believe in God.  Why does an otherwise rational, educated person hold on to these old stories, these myths, these fairy tales?  The answer will vary from person to person as it does with almost anything.  However, here are a few of the reasons why I believe.

The Gutter

In my youth, indeed all the way through high school, I was a devout Christian.  But, beginning in my freshman year of college, I fell away.  When I fell, I fell hard (for more on this see “Nobody’s perfect”).  Over the next twenty years or so, I found each day tougher to manage, every ant hill turned into Everest, every penny owed turned into a mint.  I was failing in every aspect of life.  I hit rock bottom, face down in the gutter.  In that moment, I heard God calling out to me and, for the first time in a long time, I called back to Him.  From that day forward, my life has done a complete 180° turn around.  My life is far from perfect.  But I have all I could ever need and more thanks to Him who continues to bless my family and I on a daily basis.

The Power of Prayer

The turnaround above is due in large part to the power of prayer.  God listens.  He hears our pleas and our prayers.  I have seen people in the most difficult of circumstances find hope and a path out of difficulty thanks to deliverance through prayer.  I know people who were literally at death’s door and found themselves released from the grip of death thanks to prayer.  I have seen the impossible made possible, the crippled made new, the troubled made free of their burdens. 

My mother was told that without a heart transplant she would likely be dead within five years.  They found her heart to be severely deficient in many ways, with too many diagnoses to list in a short blog.  That was eight years ago.  Today, she lives with a pace maker and an implanted defibrillator in her chest.  These are the things that were to help her make it through those five years.  She still battles daily to stay healthy and, no doubt, it is an uphill battle.  But, she has God on her side.  She has a legion of prayer warriors lifting her situation to God every day.  Ask her and she will tell you that she is still here today because of the power of prayer.  Ask me and I would have to agree.    

The Power of God

In my own life, God works wonders for me every day.  My job provides much of what we need financially, but not enough.  We live within our means.  However, things happen when you have a family of seven that are completely unpredictable.  But, I never worry about money.  Every time it seems we are going to fall short the Lord provides for us.  The money always comes from somewhere.  He is my provider and my protector.  He has seen my family and I through many rough patches and carried us over impossible terrain in order that we should stay on course.  There is nothing that I hesitate to take to Him for His blessing and His wisdom.  Thank you Father for all you do.

The Evidence

Many people will argue science vs. religion, evolution vs. creation, etc.  The Lord makes Himself evident to me every moment of every day.  I do not need any more evidence than that.  However, there are those out there that do need some type of evidence. 

Ok, here is some scientific evidence.  Matter does not spring about from nothing.  If it did, it stands to reason that new matter would still be springing forth today.  Bottom line, something supernatural had to make it.

Assuming that all of the conditions were right for the Big Bang to occur, there are still a few mathematical impossibilities to overcome.  First, the chances that the four major forces would form in such a way as to not tear the universe apart are in the trillions of trillions to one.  Second, the chances that life could form out of the primordial soup that evolutionists believe it did are roughly 10/40,000 power.  Now, put the chances of both occurring from nothing and the mathematical odds become staggeringly impossible to overcome.  By the way, any mathematician will tell you that 10/50 power is considered a mathematical impossibility.

Ever heard of Alexander the Great?  Most of us who have taken a fifth grade social studies class know who he is, or at least we remember the name.  He was a 4^th century B.C. Greek emperor.  We read about him in textbooks, the History Channel has done documentaries on him, and we accept it for the truth.  However, no contemporary accounts of his life exist.  In fact, the nearest mention of Alexander the Great occurs hundreds of years after his death.  But it is accepted as fact. 

Jesus.  Who was He?  Was He even real?  In the case of Jesus, the entire New Testament is written by His disciples, those that knew Him, and those that knew the Apostles.   These books were all written between 40 and 150 A.D., very close in time to His life.  The fact that each author has a connection to Christ himself and/or the Apostles serves to solidify the historical nature of His life, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Bottom line, there is more solid evidence for Christ than for Alexander the Great.