Experimental Proof of God

Copyright 2018 Brian Davis - CC-BY-NC-SA

Want to know something crazy? I can prove God exists. Scientifically, beyond doubt, I can design an experiment to prove the existence of God.

Here it is: Seek God with all your heart and see if He doesn't show up.

That's not meant to be funny. I'm dead serious. The problem is that it's really hard to seek God with your whole heart. And even if you do He often doesn't show up in ways that we'd expect. But someone asked me once why I believed in God and as I thought about it I had to admit it was because I couldn't deny that I'd run into Him on multiple occasions. My Sunday school teachers, my parents, my pastor and my Awana leaders had all said, "God wants a personal relationship with you." I believed them and starting to trying to talk to God personally and to listen for His response.

It happened.

Lots of times.

I was a little boy, scared of the dark, dreaming nightmares of monsters and my mom said, "Call out to God to give you courage." I did, and He did. By the way, the nightmares have only gotten worse as I've gotten older. Sometimes, as a grown man, I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart beating wildly, a silent scream still on my lips. Sometimes in the dark I imagine horrible things waiting for me. I still call out to God in the dark for courage, for protection, for truth and light to win against the darkness. He shows up. I go back to sleep knowing my Lord defends me.

I was convicted of my sins. Oh man, how many times I have felt the crushing weight of guilt. I said to God, "If you're up there, there is no way you can love me." A Bible thumping, born again believer, raised in the church by godly parents and I've screwed up again. I didn't even have the faith to cry out for Him, just a whimper. He was there too. Over and over and over again I've found his forgiveness, His grace, His love to be unbounded and free. Sometimes I'd hear His voice in a song, sometimes in the Bible, sometimes in how the sunset lit the clouds, I see that beauty and realize He was talking to me. I'd read it in His word, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Jer 31:3.

Many times I've prayed and not heard the clear answer I wanted. But that doesn't mean He hasn't answered. I've heard, "No" and I've heard "Not yet." In some of the darkest hours of my life I've thought God was being painfully silent and I don't know why He doesn't answer clearly and audibly every time. But I suspect it has something to do with the faith He is building in us.

But faith is not the same as wishful thinking. We have the Bible which, if we believe it's God's word, is a whole lot of stuff He said. We have the experiences of Him answering prayer, even if He doesn't always give us the answer we want. And we have His unswerving love for us and He will express it, if we go looking for it. I am convinced of this, if you seek God, you will find Him.