Why Should I Trust a God I Can’t See?

By Staff Writers

Does trusting an invisible God to guide you sound crazy? Does it seem more reasonable to rely on your own five senses? Even if you grew up in the church, faith in God can seem like quite a gamble.

He lives in our hearts and minds. He created our souls. He interacts with us in the person of the Holy Spirit – this what the church teaches. Intangible ideas. It’s no wonder we struggle with doubt sometimes. It’s tough to believe in what we can’t see.

Speaking of seeing, have you heard the parable of the blind men and the elephant?

As the story of Indian origin goes, six blind men approach an elephant. One felt its side and thought it was like a wall; another, the tusk, which felt like a spear; the third grasped the snake-like trunk; the fourth touched a knee and said it was like a tree; the last two touched an ear and the tail and swore it was like a fan or a rope.

An argument ensued between the six men about what an elephant is. Of course, this unresolvable argument based on limited information is the subject of much philosophical discourse.

The important question for the Christian is this: “Who in the story knew the whole truth?” Who was the one who fully understood what an elephant was and what they should do with it? Who knew what potential it held for these men to tame it or what danger it posed were it to run wild?

If you think you are the observer who can just laugh at their ignorance and move on, you’re missing the point.

The six men represent each and every one of us. We are all limited in our ability to perceive truth.

The only one in the story who knew the whole truth was the one not mentioned: the storyteller, the one who watched it all unfold. Christians believe that person is also the one who created the elephant, the six men, and every object to which they likened the animal: God.

The blind men cannot fully understand the perspective of the storyteller. Likewise, we cannot see the big picture.

That leaves us a choice. One option is to trust only in what we can perceive. We can make decisions based on how we feel in a given moment. We can avoid taking that job because it feels like a dangerous snake. We can avoid entering into a friendship because we sense a wall between us and them.

The other option is to trust in the presence of One we can’t see but Who can see all, past, present and future.

Take a minute to listen to Chip discuss what God, the One whose wisdom exceeds all because He sees all, is doing in our lives with His all-seeing, all-knowing power. Learn how He is working to produce the best possible results by the best possible means for all of us – His blind children.

For more information about the character of God, check out the series The Real God.

Written By

Staff Writers

Our team of writers is committed to bringing you life-changing content to help you become a Romans 12 Christian.

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