Prove It!

The question was a legitimate one. The 8-year-old actress portraying Delia on the television series Everwood asked, “What proof is there that God exists?” I was surprised by the question, then began to give it some thought. How would I answer that? I didn’t have a quick answer. Why is this so challenging, I wondered. I do not doubt God’s existence. This shouldn’t be that hard. I thought about it more. Ideas began to pop into my head. After going to bed, thoughts continued to swirl around like a cotton candy machine collecting sugar on a paper cone.

Delia resolved her question by correlating an explanation from her teacher about oil from the Jewish Miracle of Hanukkah to the unending gas in her friend’s motorcycle tank. Both the oil and the gas lasted significantly longer than they should have. In fact, it was supernatural – something only God could do.      

Here We Go . . .

Here is my attempt to answer this profound question. I present to you my personal viewpoint, supported by examples, some of which stem from my life experiences.  

Although I don’t believe the question was intended to be supported by biblical truth, I can’t dismiss the Bible altogether. Nevertheless, I will include a biblical reference to support my viewpoint. I cannot deny the opening verse from the book of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Faith plays a role in understanding God’s existence. Many do not believe in God; fewer do not believe in the existence of God. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Most trust what we see. I do. Since we cannot visibly see an omnipresent God, it is logical to look at the evidence of His existence.

That being said, let’s begin with obvious examples for evidence of proof: creation. I’ll start with nature – non-breathing things that manifest godly characteristics:

• wonder (e.g., hoodoos, Northern Lights),
• magnificence (e.g., sunsets, Grand Canyon),
• expanse (e.g., Milky Way, oceans),
• power (e.g., waterfalls, glaciers),
• beauty (e.g., newly fallen snow, fall colors)
• cycles (e.g., moon, seasons)
• unknown origin (e.g., formation of planets, land/water)

Let’s put weather in its own category. God waters the earth, brings sunshine each day, oversees natural disasters, designs eclipses, and births new stars, all of which demonstrate proof of God to me.

Continuing on to things that breathe and demonstrate divine intervention:

• reproduction and replication (e.g., baby birds from a mama bird)
• perfect formation and function (e.g., design of the human body and internal organs)
• environment (e.g., polar bears like cold, whales like water)
• adaptation and transformation (e.g., salamanders, caterpillars)
• species variety (e.g., animal kingdom)   

Now, one could argue that some things in my list are instinctive, and they would be correct, but where did that instinct come from?

Moving on . . .

History is a reasonable factor to consider. God has shown Himself on the battlefield many times, sometimes using the forces of weather. The Bible records stories to confirm this, but I won’t reference that. Physical evidence shows the name of Jesus Christ in historical documents. Eyewitness accounts are hard to refute. Most scholars accept the existence of Jesus. When it comes to Jesus, the Triune God comes with the package.

Artifacts and archeological findings lend solid, tangible evidence, but the Bible serves as the reference point. I digress. (I can’t seem to pull away from the Bible.)      

As a healthcare professional and researcher, I cannot overlook scientific evidence. Okay, I’m dabbling in debatable territory, but how do you explain gravity and the nuclear force that holds protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus?

For the sake of space, let’s get to the good stuff: religious and supernatural experiences. Now, here’s where no one can question my words because they are my experiences. While there are many responses from God to my prayers, and yes, I’ve witnessed numerous miracles, I will stick to the evidence from my cancer. In short, God led me to be diagnosed early, walked with me through the journey, comforted me, gave me visions, healed me, and allowed me to write about my incredible experience (www.confrontingcancerwithfaith.com). This alone is all the proof I need that God exists. But then, I had a widowmaker heart attack with unusual symptoms 15 years later, and God saved my life. I remained untreated for hours after the onset, which could easily have been fatal.

There have been close-call car accidents and falls that either never happened or in which timing was a saving factor. God was there. He has always been here. And He will be here until the end. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13).