In God We Trust–But Why?

For those of us who call ourselves Christians, we’ve already made the decision to trust God, at least on some level. Most of us could probably show more trust, but that’s a topic for another day.

The core of Christianity is stated in the Apostles’ Creed of the Methodist Church (and of many other Christian denominations):

 

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
the third day He rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.”

With 2.6 billion followers, Christianity is the largest religious group in the world. There are roughly 332 million people in the United States, and 63% of us profess to be Christians. That’s 210 million Christians in this country alone.

Maybe you’re too intelligent to jump aboard the Christianity train. Maybe you don’t believe in fairy tales. There are as many reasons excuses to be an unbeliever as there are unbelievers.

Maybe you are absolutely convinced that there’s no omnipotent God, but you’d still like to know why so many people are believers.

First of all, I’d recommend that you read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Yes, that’s the same guy who wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Here’s a 3-sentence summary of the book, written by Tyler DeVries:

“In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis aims to prove to the sensible skeptic that God does exist and that He sent His son Jesus Christ to redeem the world. The book begins with a logical proof for the Christian God and then transitions into a discussion of the common ground upon which all of those of the Christian faith stand together. Readers at all stages of belief will find that Mere Christianity provides an approachable path to discover a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.”

Are you not a C.S. Lewis fan? Then try The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. As the legal affairs editor for the Chicago Tribune, Strobel applies what he has learned as an investigative journalist and a lawyer to determine whether there is any credible evidence to back up “the Bible’s assertions about the existence of God and the salvation of mankind through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.”

Are you not much of a book reader? Apparently, you’re willing to read a Sunday morning article on American Free News Network (after all, you clicked on this article). Now that you’re part of my captive audience, let me give you six reasons why I believe in God. (All scripture references are from the New Living Translation.)

Reason 1–God knows you by name.

• Isaiah 43:1  “‘…Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.'”

You’re not just one of 2.6 billion citizens of the world. He knows who YOU are. (Spoiler alert: God knows all 2.6 billion of us by name.)

Reason 2–God will fight for you.

• Exodus 14:14   “The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

You don’t have to fight every battle by yourself. You only have to ask God for help. And guess what? He always knows what you need, and sometimes He fights for you even when you don’t ask

Reason 3–God thinks about you.

• Psalm 139:17  “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”

He loves you and thinks about you as much as He loves and thinks about the other 6.2 billion people on the planet. Yes, He’s that powerful!

Reason 4–He has plans for you.

• Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you,’” says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'”

Maybe you can’t make a decision about which way to turn. Turn it over to God, and He’ll show you which way to go. Seriously, He will.

Reason 5–He is your refuge.

• Psalm 62:6-7  “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.”

Are you overwhelmed by your job or your family or the state of the country/the world? Do you ever just want to crawl back into bed and hide from the world? When it all gets to be too much to handle on your own, talk to God. He’s got your back.

Reason 6–He is always with you.

• Matthew 28:20  “Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Always. That means forever. And here’s another spoiler alert. He’s known about you since the beginning of time–even before you were born. Are you overwhelmed yet?

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Those are my reasons for trusting God. (I ran across this list in an anonymous on-line post.)

Maybe dealing with faith and mercy doesn’t align with your scientific and logical way of thinking. Maybe you’re too smart to fall for that kind of “brain-washing.”

Allow me to present you with a logical, mathematical thought.

I believe in God and trust Him. I believe that there is a Heaven where there is no illness, no pain, and no sadness. I believe that I will go there when I die.

You believe that there is no God and that when we die, we’re just gone.

So here’s what will happen when we die. If I’m wrong and you’re right, then it wasn’t a waste of time for me, because I spent my life believing in something bigger than myself, even if I was “brainwashed,” and I found joy every day. You and I will both die and that will be the end.

But if I’m right and you’re wrong, I’ve ended up in Paradise. You, however, are (at best) just dead in the ground forever. At worst, you’re in “Not Paradise” forever.

I like my odds better.