Believing in God through experience

Dear Chaplain: Why do you believe in a God that you can not see, hear or touch? That just doesn’t make sense to me.

— Signed, Seeing is Believing

Dear Seeing is Believing: I can not feel a gust of wind right now, but I believe wind is real and has power. I can not hear the person next to me breathing, but I know that they are alive. I can not see you, hear you, or touch you, but because you wrote me this letter ... I know that you exist. And likewise, I can not see God with my eyes; I can not hear God through my ears; and I can not touch God with my hands, but ... because he wrote me two books to personally to read and take action on (the Old and New Testaments of the Bible), I know that he exists.

When I read the Bible, just like when I read your letter, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is real, that he knows who I am, and he knows how to get a message through to me. I believe in God because I have been reading his books and communicating with him for over 28 years. His words have encouraged me, sustained me, protected me, and have helped to make me a much better person. The Lord has become my best friend and I have no greater joy than being in his presence. I discover daily that loves me, flaws and all. But most importantly he is my best friend because no matter how tough life gets, he never leaves me or chooses others over me. In fact, the Lord is the only one who has never let me down. When people do things to hurt me or say all kinds of mean things about me, God is right there to defend and comfort me. Who else in this world would love me so much that they would sacrifice their only child so I can be forgiven of my wrong doings and so I can continue to be in a relationship with them? No one would! And for that I am eternally grateful and desire to show my appreciation and gratitude more and more everyday through my obedience, through my love, through praising him with kind words, and through serenading him with my songs.

I personally believe in God, not because of what I see, hear or feel, but rather because of what I’ve experienced, and who I’ve known to be a very real, true, consistent and wonderful presence in my life. “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” Psalm 34;8.

Ask the Chaplain is written by Rev. Dayna Spence, an ordained minister, licensed evangelist, and chaplain who’s served as a hospital chaplain and is currently serving as a hospice chaplain Chester County area. Please email “Ask the Chaplain” at 4thechaplain@gmail.com or write to, PO Box 1284, West Chester, PA 19380.