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The Blue Letter Bible

Richard Bennett :: Chapter 1 Is There Really a God?

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Your Quest for God — Chapter 1

Is There Really a God?

Geology is the autobiography of the earth but, like all autobiographies, it does not go back to the beginning. —Sir Charles Lyell

There may have been times in your life when things seemed so bleak that you have not only doubted the love of God but you have also questioned His very existence.

In the Bible, the existence of God is not explained; neither is it proved. It is simply taken for granted. The very first sentence of the Bible In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1 NASB) is an awesome statement that is both simple and profound. It declares that God is, and that He is the Creator of the Universe.

Many years ago my wife held a senior nursing position at one of the most prestigious psychiatric hospitals in Europe. One day a leading psychiatrist, who claimed to be an atheist, quizzed Dorothy about her faith. “Doctor,” she replied, “you know I respect you very deeply as an authority in your field. You are an esteemed university lecturer, and in the medical profession your name is widely revered. May I suggest, however, that before you again claim to be an atheist, you read the Bible with the same zeal that has characterized your psychiatric research.”

She then reminded him of several of his patients who had recently been released from the chronic ward because of the wonderful changes God’s power had made in their lives. She was able to name one or two who had been so dramatically transformed that they were already leading productive lives. Dorothy told the renowned psychiatrist how each of these patients had come to know God in a personal and vital way. The doctor himself was acutely aware that these patients had been previously untouched by the latest psychiatric techniques. Neither as an atheist, nor even as a psychiatrist, could he account for the phenomenon of their changed lives.

This doctor, having just told Dorothy that he did not believe in God, concluded that conversation by asking her to pray for him! He also promised that, for the first time in his life, he would start to read the Bible with an open mind.

After seven weeks of careful reading, the psychiatrist told Dorothy that he was no longer a professing atheist. However, he still had a problem, for he recognized that a genuine commitment to God would require a change in his lifestyle. “My problem is no longer intellectual,” he admitted, “but I find that I am unwilling to accept the changes that would occur if I were to become a committed believer.”

After having prayed for our doctor friend for ten years, we finally received a letter in which he told us of his new-found faith and of his personal commitment to God. We were overjoyed, but not too surprised, because we knew that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17 KJV).

To help each of us come to know Him, God has placed within our being a deep inner consciousness of His existence.

Some people may choose not to believe in God, but there has never been a person on Planet Earth who could not believe in God.

Even in the physical universe itself, God has given many evidences of His own existence. The deeper that our twenty-first century science reaches into the secrets of the universe, the more unreasonable it becomes to suggest that all this came into existence without a Designer. No one would ever suggest that a space shuttle could soar into space, orbit the Earth, and then land at the expected moment and location without the combined creative genius of designers, technicians and mathematicians. Likewise, sunsets and seasons, galaxies and atoms, the force of gravity and the power of love could never exist without the planning and design of a Creator God.

Surely it takes a million times more faith to believe that an ordered, perfect Creation came from a ‘big bang’ than it does to believe in God, the Creator, for there can be no design without first there being a designer.

Even the government that has denied the existence of God has actually expressed its own confidence in the universe’s being one of law and order each time that it has sent a cosmonaut into space. Only by cooperating with these laws could their cosmonauts have returned safely to earth. Does it not seem strange, then, that these same people who rely on natural laws reject the existence of a Lawmaker, the existence of a Supreme Planner?

Again we are all aware of the devastatingly-destructive power that is released when an atom bomb explodes. However, it has been calculated that each and every second the sun releases an amount of power that is equal to 5,000 billion atomic bombs. And in comparison to the other power-emitting stars, our sun is not even very large; and we still do not know how many stars there actually are in the universe. Although billions have been gathered into man’s sight, these stars could be just the outer fringe of the vast unknown. Today, though, astronomers recognize that the energy released in some galaxies is billions of times greater than that given off by our own sun! How could such power exist were it not for a Creator whose power is without limit?

Indeed, creation introduces us to a God of Design, a God of Law and a God of Infinite Power. The Bible says:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4 KJV).

For the invisible things of Him [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20 KJV).

So, there is no excuse for anyone, anywhere, to deny the existence of God.

Reflecting upon the vastness, the order and the power that God has created makes many people feel very small and insignificant.

Israel’s King David had that reaction and expressed it this way:

When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? (Psalm 8:3-4 NASB).

Today, our knowledge of the starry heavens has become vastly increased, for giant telescopes magnify our vision of the universe by half-a-million-fold and satellites signal pictures back to Planet Earth as they journey through outer space. As a result, we too might be tempted to ask the same question as did David: “How could a God who created all this be interested in little me?”

Fortunately, however, the age of the telescope is also the age of the microscope. Today, we know that there is also a world in miniature, which can be seen only through the microscope, and it is just as incredible as is the vastness of outer space. Even light is too coarse to reveal the secrets of this sub-microscopic realm. What escapes the eye of the scientist’s traditional lab microscope can be picked up by the electron microscope, which further reveals the beauty, design, law and power embodied in our infinitesimally-minute world.

So, if you ever wonder whether or not God has someone so small as you on His mind, listen to the nuclear physicist tell how important real smallness is to the preservation of the entire universe. Separate the neutrons and the protons of an atom by just 1/12 trillionth of an inch and, instead of matter being bound in a solid mass, the world would blow apart in a cosmic nuclear explosion. Yes, smallness is just as important as greatness to the God of Creation.

It is reassuring to know that when we ask the question: What is man that Thou dost take thought of him? it is not the size of a man that determines his value. On the contrary, our personal value to God is predicated upon some very different factors. And God has revealed to us why we are valuable to Him and how precious we are in His sight.

Though creation itself speaks of a God of design, law and power, God has chosen another way to reveal Himself as the God of infinite love and mercy, the One who desires nothing but our greatest good. But if you are to find such a God, it is imperative that your spiritual guide be utterly reliable.

Pause to Consider


  1. If you threw a handful of iron filings into the air, would you expect to catch a Swiss watch when it came down?
  2. Could the universe with all of its marvelous and intricate design have just happened without the Creator-God?
  3. Though creation can point you to a Creator-God who has manifested Himself as the God of design, of law and of power, is creation of and by itself sufficient to bring you to an understanding of God’s love and mercy?
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Chapter 2 Is Your Spiritual Guide Reliable? Next Section →
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