Signs

"The more we demand that God prove himself and make sense to us, the less he will. The door to the miraculous swings on faith."

We really are the most audacious, self-centered, skeptical species ever created. Every time I think back on my years separated from a real relationship with God I can’t help but laugh at all the times I said those three magic words…

"Just prove it."

I wanted proof. Is that too much to ask? Why can’t He just come on down and say hello in person or maybe make me the winner of the latest mega jackpot lottery? How about I wake up tomorrow morning and Mr. Perfect is standing right outside to drive me into a life of eternal bliss? C’mon God…just show me that You’re real. That should be easy for a God like You.

Of course NOW this totally cracks me up. It cracks me up every time a seeker friend of mine says to me, "If He’d just give me some proof, then I’d believe!"

No they wouldn’t.

He shows Himself to them every day and they haven’t started believing in Him yet. Of course, they refuse to believe that that’s God stirring up the colors of the sunset or blowing the clouds into formation. They refuse to believe that the butterfly that landed on their hand the other day was a special message from God or that little Suzy would have been killed when she fell off the jungle gym at school except somehow she managed to land right-side-up instead of upside-down. They don’t know that it was Him who kept their brother from committing suicide last week or who kept their father alive long enough for them to get to the hospital to say a final goodbye.

And, furthermore, who the heck are WE to tell GOD anything? Oh we really do think we’re all that and a bag of chips, don’t we?

Like the author, I’ve often wondered if Jesus wasn’t just the best magician ever to live. I even had my doubts when a science program I watched on PBS once explained a logical reason for every miracle ever documented in the Bible. Oh sure, there are a million reasons not to believe in God. Any one of them will do. Any one of them can keep you sleeping through life as you call out to God to show Himself and then stand there looking at the latest picture of your newborn niece while you wonder if He’s ever going to show up.

The truly ironic thing is you never realize you have no right to ask God to prove anything until you finally believe in Him. Jokes on us, everybody! Then, once the veil of knowledge is lifted from your eyes, you can’t help but laugh. He was right there in front of you the whole darn time. It was YOU who kept hitting the snooze alarm. It was YOU begging for another hour of sleep. It was YOU who knew that once that alarm went off there’d be work to do and it would be hard work and it was going to last the rest of your natural life.

"The doorway to the miraculous swings open to all who dare to enter the mystery of faith."

For some of us, curiosity to swing open that door gets the best of us. We hear God call and we answer. The rest of humanity hears Him call, too, but they hit that snooze alarm one more time and never know that God showed up while they were napping…