Photo by Luis Quintero: https://www.pexels.com/photo/selective-focus-photo-of-person-holding-book-2351719/
Finding God requires more than just searching for His existence. It calls for deeper involvement, a forming of knowledge, and a close personal relationship with the omnipotent creator of this life and humankind.
There comes a time in people’s lives when they begin their search for God’s existence in their lives. The need to search may have been triggered by a significant event or incident that recently happened to them that makes them turn to faith for answers. Or, the reason for the search can also be a faith-based perspective of strengthening and developing their existing values and characters to better serve them as individuals on how they should go about in their lives.
Gary R. Lindberg’s book God’s Existence: Truth or Fiction? The Answer Revealed illuminates the truth behind God’s existence and presence in this world. Man’s quest for God leads them to dig deeper into concepts often overlooked and taken for granted in today’s modern world. The author brilliantly highlighted the difference between science theories versus the Christian thesis before coming to a most logical conclusion.
But not everyone would dare venture into the uncertainty, especially into the unknown world that could put at risk the principles and beliefs they’ve lived by throughout their lives. That’s why searching for God is a unique journey undertaken by those with courage, passion, and determination to go after the truth. It is a road less taken, less traveled.
The Benefit of Knowing God
To know God is to reconcile faith, knowledge, and reality. Knowing God is sometimes akin to finding out all the wonderful, almost miraculous things that could happen in people’s lives. Put it this way. If people don’t have God in their lives, how would they live if fears and anxieties constantly hound them? If people don’t have God in their lives, how would they find the strength to go on despite all the challenges and difficulties that haunt their every step?
One of the top benefits of knowing God is the peace that comes with knowledge. It is a peace that comes from within that radiates outwardly. It is a peace stemming from a peaceful mind and heart, free from worry and anxiety, knowing that a higher power is in control.
For others, knowing God yields strength. The strength could be in the form of spiritual power, the reason people find resiliency amidst overwhelming obstacles and problems in life. A shining example of how knowledge of God produces certain spiritual toughness is the story of Job in the Bible.
Job was a man of faith, and his belief in God was like no other. The story goes that one day, the devil decided to test Job’s trust in God to prove that if a man is robbed out of their material necessities in life, they would lose faith and turn against God. The devil then took away everything that Job worked hard for over the years, robbing him of his health and the life of his family and friends. But so strong is Job’s faith in God that he persisted despite all adversities and remained faithful towards the end. The story ended with God restoring all of Job’s worldly possessions and even multiplying what Job had lost.
Embarking on the Search for God
How to start searching for God? What does a person need to do or to prepare in this quest to find God? There is no specific or strict roadmap on what steps to take when someone is looking for God in their lives. There are many ways that an individual can take to make this process fulfilling and effective. It would also depend upon the purpose of the search. Nevertheless, here are some valuable tips that anyone or anybody can use to start their quest for finding God.
Begin with a Prayer
Praying is an act of communicating and calling on God. Often, people would ask the intercession of the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Holy Trinity, to guide them in their search. The Holy Spirit is the bearer of wisdom, understanding, and counsel. If a person expects their quest to be successful, they should call on a powerful intercessor that would give them the virtues to help them make the right decisions that would lead them to God.
Read the Holy Bible
To find God is to learn more about Him. The Holy Bible is the best reference there is when it comes to God’s existence. The pages and stories written in the book all showed proof; all attest to God’s presence and how man’s faith in Him could lead them to perform miracles beyond imagination. If there’s one clear blueprint that a person could use in their quest for God, it is the Holy Bible.
Communicate and Investigate
Communicate with persons in authority. These persons could be religious leaders such as priests, deacons, professors of the faith, and even religious community or group leaders. Searching involves investigating. The searchers should ask questions and remain open to all the answers. Talk and listen to people who made it a habit to follow the teachings of Christianity. Look into stories of people who were able to find God in their lives successfully and how their lives changed in the process.
Meditate and Journal
Take time to pause and reflect. Record all thoughts, questions, insights, and discoveries. This could be a moment for people to evaluate the answers that they’ve discovered, giving them time to analyze their meaning. The search for God is a spiritual journey, a unique and memorable journey that should be recorded and preserved well.
Live & Practice the Learnings
Searching for God doesn’t end with just knowing about Him. The process comes full circle when the individual decides to live and practice what they have learned during their search. The search should be a personal discovery, a journey of knowing Him personally and having a meaningful relationship with Him.
Choose the Road Less Traveled
Searching and following God is not an easy road to take. It is a road less traveled because of the tribulations often encountered along the way. It usually involves nonconformity to modern society’s ideals and standards. But it is only through this nonconformity that a person achieves their goal and purpose in life, which consists in finding God.
Only when people find God in their lives will they experience fulfillment unmatched by any other human experience. Only then will they experience the actual kind of peace and happiness. And only then will they live their lives straight and grounded, with a faith rooted firmly in the knowledge and love for God.
Gary R. Lindberg 