I believe that - deep down - every normal decent person wants to believe in God. They want there to be a God, no matter how much they might deny it. And do you know why?
One word … justice.
Consider for a moment all the shootings that have been happening (and that’s just a tiny bit of the violence that is going on world-wide). These men have shot up multiple people, killing many, injuring many more, ruining lives and destroying families.
And then these cowards kill themselves or get shot by police.
They get to wreak havoc and destroy people … and then they get to end their lives, never having to face up to what they did. They get to simply die and go into the ground, leaving their terrible mark on humanity while never having to answer for what they did, never being punished for what they did.
There is no true justice if there is no afterlife. And so it really didn’t matter how these men lived – if they were good and polite, or if they destroyed multiple lives. You see, in the end, we all just disappear. We just go into the ground and no one has to answer for how they lived. In fact, no one will even remember how people lived because in the end … there is nothingness.
If you don’t believe in God, in heaven and in hell, in a Supreme Being whom we are accountable to and whom we will all answer to in the end … then this is the view you have to hold. The idea of nothingness. That there is nothing in the end, that there is no one to answer to, that there is no one who will see that justice is done, that there is no one who will make things right again.
And this is why I think that we all want there to be a God. We all want to believe that justice will be served, that evil won’t have the last word, that these men can’t shoot up dozens of people and then escape justice simply by killing themselves. We want to believe that they will be held accountable for what they did.
Deep down, all good and decent people want to know that justice will be served. We want there to be a God who won’t let people get away with those kinds of actions.
But this desire for a God who will dish out justice puts us in a bind … because if there is a God that they are accountable to, then there is a God that we are accountable to. And I believe this is what stops many people from letting that deep down desire for God come to the surface, from letting it become a real, heart-changing, life-changing belief.
We don’t want to be accountable to God, to change our ways, to do things His way, to follow His rules. But if we don’t hold ourselves accountable to Him and His rules, we can’t hold anyone else accountable to them either. We can’t wish justice on someone else but escape it ourselves.
If you can honestly say that it doesn’t matter to you if these violent men ever have to face justice or be accountable for what they did, that you are ok with the idea that it doesn’t really matter eternally how we live, that you are content with the idea of eternal “nothingness” … then you might be able to convince me that you really don’t want there to be God.
But then what kind of person would that make you?
And if the idea of justice isn’t enough to make you acknowledge your deep down desire for God, then how about the idea of forgiveness for the things you've done, for the guilt that haunts you. (Oh, What Love by City Harmonic)
Of abundant amazing grace that covers your mistakes and carries you through the hard times. (Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew)
Of mercy when Jesus died on the cross for your sins so that you don't have to pay for them with an eternity in hell. (Secret Ambition by Michael W. Smith)
Of Someone looking out for you, guiding you, protecting you, caring for you when life can seem so scary and overwhelming. (I AM by Crowder and Love, Heal Me by City Harmonic)
Of being valued and loved, simply because God made you, because you are His and you matter to Him. (Remind Me Who I Am by Jason Gray)
Of purpose and significance, knowing that your life matters, that what you do here will have an effect on eternity, that you can help people find eternal life. (We Believe by Newsboys)
Of knowing that you and those you love will not just disappear in the end, that you life and soul and spirit will live on, even after the body dies. (Manifesto by City Harmonic)
Of knowing that God will make all things right in the end, for those who love Him and choose Him. (Hallelujah by Newsboys)
Of having hope that this life - with all its tragedies, fears, uncertainties, and unfairness - isn't all there is, that God can heal your greatest hurts, that the best is yet to come. (Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North)
Of knowing that Satan doesn't win, that God will wipe away all tears of those in heaven, and that He will destroy death and evil forever. (The Champion by Carman)
If this isn’t enough to make you admit your desire for God, to seek Him, to change your heart and change your life … then nothing will!
And sadly, you will have to live with the discouragement of thinking that evil wins, that those violent men get away with what they did, that they ended up in nothingness … and that you yourself are headed to the same place.
(But it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a truth out there that helps us make sense of all this and find hope in all this, that is far better than any of the other options out there. And I pray that you find it and grab onto it before it’s too late. I’ve made my decision. I know where I’m going. And now I’m just trying to help as many people as possible find that truth and hope and eternal life, too. Because this life matters, what we do here and what we choose to believe here matters. Eternally!)
