| Devotional Hours with the Bible |
Chapter 24 |
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Two girls were overheard one evening by a gentleman, talking with unusual earnestness, as if in perplexity, and one of them said, “Yes, but why has no one ever seen God?” This was all the gentleman heard of the conversation, as he stood near them, waiting for his car; but this single sentence showed their state of mind. Evidently they had been talking about the apparent unreality of spiritual things. Why had nobody ever seen God? They had heard a great deal about God, about His love, His care, His interest in human lives, His kindness. But they had never had a glimpse of Him. How could they know that all they had heard about Him was true? How could they be sure that there is a God? How could they know that the things of Christian faith and hope are real?
Questions will arise with all who think. Does God indeed love me? If He does, why must I suffer so? If He does, how can I explain all the accidents, calamities, and troubles of life? There is nothing wrong in such questions. God is not grieved with us if we ask them, desiring light. Christ is always patient with the questions of honest doubt.
It is not surprising if sometimes we cannot understand the mysteries of Christian faith. All life is full of things we cannot comprehend. Can you explain how on the bushes in your garden, which in March were bare and briery, there were in June masses of glorious roses? In the most common things there is mystery. Linnaeus, the great botanist, said there was enough mystery in a handful of moss to give one a lifetime’s study. There really are few things you actually understand and can explain. How do your eyes see? How do your ears hear? Shall we refuse to believe these things because we cannot explain them?
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