We often demand proof of God, don't we? A kind of cosmic negotiation:
"If God really exists, He should show Himself the way I want him to, on my terms. He should meet me on my playing field."
But here's the irony: God is never boxed in by our demands for proof or our definition of how He should act.
Consider how God revealed Himself to Moses — not in the majestic, overwhelming grandeur one might expect from a deity, but in a humble, yet extraordinary burning bush. There’s nothing grand about a bush — unless it’s on fire and not burning up. It’s the unassuming, mundane, yet unmistakable presence of the divine that makes us pause.
And then there’s Mount Horeb — a place where God appeared to Israel in fire and cloud, both powerful and mysterious. It’s one thing to believe in a deity who’s unapproachable, looming in distant grandeur. It’s another to believe in a God who guides, who leads in the midst of chaos, both near and uncontainable. God didn’t follow a script; He rewrote it, again and again, to meet the needs of His people at their most desperate points.
Then there’s Job, who questioned God amidst his suffering, demanding answers from a universe that seemed indifferent. And how did God respond? In a storm. A storm — not of gentle whispers, but a raw, untamed force. It’s almost as if God said, “You wanted to know how I work in the world, Job? I am that wild. I do not fit in your boxes, I am not your puppet. But I am here.” The storm became His voice, and Job, in the end, was forced to wrestle with the tension of who God is beyond human reason.
Then, in stark contrast, Elijah finds himself in the desolate wilderness, on the run from a world that seems to have lost its moral compass. His desperate soul needed reassurance, yet the God he served appeared not in a storm or fire, but in a soft whisper. A whisper. Gentle. Intimate. He didn’t need to prove His existence with cataclysmic displays. He was present, in the quiet, to the prophet who was afraid, tired, and had nothing left.
It’s in these contradictions that the mystery of God unfolds. He shows up how He wants, where He wants, and when He wants. And, of course, that’s not how we would write the script.
The Skeptic’s Demand for Proof: Irony and Paradox
Atheists, or those who simply want proof of God’s existence, demand something clear-cut.
"Show me the evidence, the sign, the clear answer!" they say. They expect God to prove Himself according to human standards. If God is so great, they think, surely He would not hide behind these baffling stories, these elusive encounters. Why not show Himself in ways we can easily test and measure, like some well-controlled scientific experiment?
But here’s the irony:
When God does choose to show up in our lives, we often dismiss Him. "I need more," we say. "I need Him to prove Himself more clearly, more scientifically."
And when He chooses to appear as a burning bush? Or in a whispering breeze? We scoff. It's too odd. It's too subtle. God, in His infinite creativity and power, refuses to dance to our tune.
He doesn’t submit to our demands because God is not a lab experiment or a magic trick for our entertainment. He is God, and His ways are far higher than our ways. We cannot dictate the terms of the divine encounter. He meets us where we are, but He does not follow our script.
Conclusion: The Challenge of Faith
Perhaps the greatest challenge of faith is not the proof of God’s existence, but the mystery of His presence. The God who met Moses in a burning bush, who led Israel in clouds and fire, who whispered to Elijah in the wilderness, and who came in the storm to Job — that same God is present today, inviting us into His mystery. But He does not conform to our expectations.
He is present in the chaos and in the quiet. In the storm and in the whisper. But we are the ones who need to shift our gaze — and often our pride — to see Him, just as He is, not as we want Him to be.
And so, the question is not whether God will reveal Himself to us on our terms, but whether we are willing to let Him meet us on His.
A Note for the Seeker:
If you’re waiting for God to prove Himself exactly the way you want, be prepared for disappointment. He works in mysterious ways, but He’s never distant. The question is: are you willing to meet Him in the ways He’s revealing Himself?
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