We often hear these expressions about God that sound like clichés, such as God is good, God is love, or God is real. Many learned to say these words because they’ve heard them from others, whether from parents, friends, or even strangers, without having experienced them on a personal level. I used to say all the time, God is good, real; He is a healer, but it took me years to realize that I didn’t really know God the way I thought I did. And I’ve always believed that God is love, because He allowed me to wake up this morning, and God is real because when I look at the sky and I see the clouds and the sunshine, I know for sure there is a God in heaven. Although there is nothing wrong with these beliefs and they are all true, the purpose of this article is to help us see these expressions from a different vantage point. We have to get to a point in our spiritual journey where we know and say that God is real not only because creation proves it, but also because we believe His Word and have witnessed God in our own lives. For example, for those of us who don’t believe in Santa Claus, the reason we don’t is that we’ve never met him. And for some of us, after a few years of keeping the kids’ hopes up, we get a little discouraged waiting near the chimney for a Santa who never shows up.
Based on my personal experience, I remember as a young girl, I got excited when hearing other people’s testimony about God. This excitement led me to a curiosity that I’m still grateful for today. So, I developed a curiosity about finding out how real and how close God is. This was probably not the best way to start pursuing God, but I began to pay attention to my decisions and ensure that I invited God by asking Him for a sign about that decision. I would not ask Him for these signs out loud; I would ask them in silent prayers before making the decisions. Nobody else was allowed to know what I asked Him until I found out whether the sign was a yes or a no. And the sign would be so unusual that when it happened, I knew it was God. It was something similar to Gideon in Judges 6:37, where he said to God, “Look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said”, and then he asked God for another sign which was the reverse of the first sign “This time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew” Judges 6:39. And God did so for Gideon for both requests.
When I realized that God can actually hear the requests I’ve made in my heart and answer according to His will, which also means that not all answers were yes; some were no, but the most important thing was that I became aware of how real He is in my own life. I believe this is when God started to debunk all the lies that made me doubt His existence. You see, when we look at nature, it is easy for some of us to ascribe God’s glory to something else. We say the universe or Mother Nature is in charge, because there is no signature or stamp on nature to identify its Maker. But we do know without a doubt that whoever created it is all-powerful. God doesn’t have to force us to know that He is in charge; He wants us to have a relationship with Him, and from there we’ll automatically know who runs the show. God can take us to a deeper level in Him where we will not only be certain of His ability to create all things but also His existence.
For instance, it blows my mind whenever God uses someone to give me the answer to a silent prayer that they would not have known unless He told them. Sometimes, He will send a total stranger. Other times, He will give me the answer right from the Bible. And at times, He would place something in my heart that He would fulfill in my life, and later I would see it come to pass just as He said. I remember testifying about the car accident before, and I cannot help but mention it here. God blew my mind that day when I heard Him say, ‘Don’t go out with your friends today’. I wasn’t even sure it was God, because He was talking while I was on the phone with my friends, who wanted me to go eye shopping with them. I felt the urge not to go and to obey God. And an hour later I received a call from my friends who told me they had gotten into a car accident. I realized that if I had not listened to God that day, I would have either died or been paralyzed because the big trailer hit their car from behind, which is where I usually sit when I go out with my friends. This experience was one of the experiences that made me realize how real and close God is. That day, I remember listening to my friends on the phone in one ear, trying to force me to go out with them, and in the other, God telling me not to go. From that point on, I knew and was convinced that God wants the best for me and He cares about my well- being. As I get older and mature in my walk with God, I have learned to trust Him more and surrender to Him; thus, I don’t ask Him for as many signs anymore. Now, I know that God is indeed real, and nobody can make me doubt that. I have discovered that God hears us and knows everything about us; that’s why, from a very young age, I’ve learned that it is pointless to hide anything from God.
Another thing I have discovered about God is that the more I testify about Him, the more He keeps giving me more testimonies. As God expanded my understanding of who He is and how real He is in my life, I couldn’t help but testify about Him. And little did I know, the more I testified, the more He allowed me to experience Him in unthinkable ways. So, whenever I get to a season in life when God seems quiet, or it seems as if testimonies are not coming through, I know it’s because I have not been doing my job. As His witness, I have to let Him take me through circumstances where only He can get the glory. Amen!
Have you ever felt like you are too small, too broken, too far gone for God to consider you? And have you ever felt like you are a waste of God’s time? And if that’s you, please allow me to tell you that you are exactly who God is looking for to experience His goodness and realness.
I remember a time when I used to envy people’s relationship with God, and I have had spiritual leaders who took advantage of me because of that. I would blame and condemn myself, meaning that I thought it was because I was too messed up for such a privilege, so I believed all the lies that others have told me about my brokenness disqualifying me from having a relationship with God. As a result, I was convinced that I could never have a relationship with Him, not realizing that my own negative thoughts stopped me from experiencing the relationship I want with Him. Therefore, I was self-sabotaging.
On the contrary, God desires to make Himself known to us. God doesn’t want His children to walk around guessing or assuming that there is a God in heaven; He wants us to know that He is in heaven, and because of the sacrificial blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, we can have a personal relationship with Him. When we have this knowing, no one can shake our foundation. And that’s what will set the tone on our spiritual journey with Him. People who can withstand the wind or rain during tough seasons didn’t become like that overnight; they didn’t experience God overnight, either. They had a history with Him. In my case, for example, I thought God was answering my silent prayers simply because He is God, but He was building a record for when He calls me into the deep. That way I would know who is with me in uncharted waters. People who know God for themselves know what His Word says, and they have seen His power. For instance, Job was an upright man to the point God recommended him to Satan. I’m sure Job knew and had read a lot about God. Yet, there was a part of God that Job knew nothing about and still had to experience. That’s why he said in Job 42:5, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.”
I believe it is important for us to remember that God is not fully satisfied just by hearing us say, ‘God is My Jehovah Rapha’ or ‘My Jehovah Shalom’, but He wants us to know Him for ourselves that He is our healer and our peace. And the only way to know Him as the God who can do these things is through experiences. Therefore, when God takes you into deep waters, and you are certain that He is with you in the blazing fire, best believe you are not only coming out not even smelling like flame, but you are also coming out with a knowledge of God that you never thought existed and could not have known of Him unless you experienced Him yourself.
May God reveal Himself to you in such a way that makes you testify that He is indeed real!
SCRIPTURES
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
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