November 8 – God Does Exist
By Audrey Bauman
Romans 1: 18 - 23 (NLT)
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness (or, who by their wickedness, prevent the truth from being known). 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.20 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.
21 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. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
These verses talk about the fundamental problem – people don’t want to admit there is a God. We’d rather be at the center of the universe ourselves, and consider ourselves the smartest, best creation around. We see this at the very beginning of the human race. Read these words from Genesis 3: 1 – 7:
“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.”
There you see our obsession with being the smartest, the one in control. Eve didn’t like the fact that God was in control of that one thing – the tree she was told not to touch. She liked the idea of being as wise as God. But the result was not what she expected. Eve and Adam were ashamed and tried to cover it up.
Isn’t that us today? We think we’re smart and have things under control, and then when things go crazy, we try to make excuses and cover it all up. This notion of being in control is one I fight a lot. I like to make plans, I like to know what is happening today, tomorrow, next week, sometimes even next year. I like my home to be organized, and I do my best to have a healthy lifestyle so I can function at my best. I pray about things, but then I do my best to make good things happen, and fix things that aren’t working out the way I’d hoped. I suspect that describes a lot of us. And I’m not advocating sitting back and just letting whatever happen. What I’m more concerned about is how easy it is to think we have things under control when that is really God’s department.
As humans we think we are so smart. And I must admit I’m in awe of some of the things we create. Just talk to your phone, TV or that little gadget that sits in your home that tells you anything you want to know. But when I read those verses in Romans, I am brought up short by the realization that God created this whole universe from the stars and galaxies to the smallest cells in my body that keep that body running. Wow! It really makes me in awe of a God who created all this. Maybe it’s even scary because in comparison to Him, I’m not bright at all. Yet I still struggle with admitting to Him that He knows best for me.
Yet some people take it even further. They reject the idea that there is a God at all. But according to Romans, those people end up replacing the existence of God with something even more foolish. Tomorrow’s verses will talk about the consequences of rejecting the existence of God. It’s not a pretty picture. But today, I want us to think about whether we acknowledge God, but in practice, do we accept His control? Do we really stand in awe of who He is, or do we agree but put it aside as something nice but not all that important in our day-to-day activities? Think about that. How in awe of God am I really?
Our song for today is Holy is the Lord by Chris Tomlin.