When Seeing Isn't Believing

In our modern world, people often claim they'd believe in God if they saw miraculous signs. But even when faced with extraordinary displays, like messages in the sky, many dismiss such moments as coincidence, attributing them to human invention or natural causes. The story of Moses and the Ten Commandments highlights that even direct encounters with divine intervention don’t guarantee faith. Why? Because seeing alone isn't enough to inspire belief.

The root of unbelief goes deeper than just a lack of evidence. We often live in a state of “functional naturalism,” where even as believers, we filter out the divine in everyday life. We compartmentalize God to “spiritual” events, missing His hand in the routine, ordinary moments. Science, while valuable, can also serve as a tool of this mindset, offering neat explanations for everything from lightning to coincidences, and in doing so, stripping away the sense of wonder that could point us back to our Creator.

The Bible continually reminds us of God's presence in creation. Psalm 135:7 speaks of the clouds, lightning, and wind as being under God's command. Job 37:11 portrays Him as the one loading the clouds with moisture and scattering lightning. These moments of nature are not just random occurrences; they are the daily fingerprints of a sovereign God.

Like the crowd at the theme park who saw a message in the sky and remained unmoved, we often overlook God’s activity in our lives. How often do we receive a timely word of encouragement, witness a serendipitous event, or experience an answered prayer and fail to attribute it to God? Instead of seeing His hand, we chalk it up to mere coincidence or luck.

The Bible challenges us to look deeper. Proverbs 21:1 reminds us that the hearts of kings, and by extension all human hearts, are directed by God’s will. Nothing happens by chance. Yet, the problem persists: even as Christians, we forget to look for Him in the details. We miss the miracles, large or small, that surround us daily.

When we adopt a secular view of life, we not only miss the supernatural workings of God, but we lose our awe. The ancients marveled at lightning as a sign of God's power. Today, we explain it away as a scientific phenomenon, missing the deeper truth that all creation is under His control.

This call to awareness is about more than acknowledging that God is always present. It's about reorienting our hearts and minds to see Him at work in every aspect of our lives. As Acts 17:28 declares, "In him we live and move and have our being." Our lives are immersed in God's ongoing, active care. Even the smallest of details, from the weather to our personal struggles, are part of His sovereign design.

We need to break free from the mindset that God is distant or only active in "spiritual" matters. Instead, let’s train ourselves to see Him in everything. In doing so, we can begin to live with a renewed sense of wonder, recognizing that God's power and love permeate every moment, every event, and every circumstance of our lives.

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