Evidence attests to, documents, supports and reinforces the validity of a claim or an assertion. Evidence verifies and confirms the validity of a proposition or a belief. Evidence is concrete. It proves a claim.
We want to see, feel, and touch evidence to believe it exists in order to believe there is a corresponding outcome. Yet, some evidence exists, is real, confirms and validates a true and actual outcome that we cannot see, feel, or touch. There is evidence that exists that we cannot hold in the palm of our hands yet is still proof, nonetheless.
For example, think of gravity. I cannot hold gravity in my hand. I cannot touch it, hold it, taste it or smell it. Yet, I cannot fly at my every whim. My evidence that gravity exists is that I am magnetized to the ground. In the same way, I cannot bottle, hold or see the wind, yet there is evidence that it exists by the trees swaying back and forth and leaves blowing about my yard.
In a similar way, how do you know, how can you verify, how can you prove that God made the earth? And is there proof that someone is a good and righteous person? A way to prove they believe in God? Or, how can you say, assert or confirm that it is time to grow your family or that it is time for you to move? You might know that you know yet friends or family say, “How do you know? Show me, let me touch the proof.”
Not all evidence is able to be seen or touched yet you know that what you sense is as real and as palpable as the chair you are sitting on, such as gravity and the wind are real. What can we call this evidence? Faith. “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is real. Though you cannot touch it with your fingers or see it with your eyes, it is a true piece of evidence to God that is as real as gravity and the wind. In fact, faith is necessary to be “good,” to be righteous. It is evidence to God that we believe in Him. The evidence that we believe in God is our faith. “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 NLT).
How do we understand, how do we know, that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen? By faith.
How did Noah know to build a large boat to save his family from the flood? And how did God deem him righteous? How did Abraham act upon and obey God by leaving home and going to another land he did not know to receive his inheritance? How is it that Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and too old? “She believed!” It was all by faith.
Many believe the proof of their faith is the cross necklace they wear, or the good works they do, the nice things they say or the gifts they give. Though all of these things – gifts, philanthropy, acts of kindness – are good, they do not prove you are good or where your heart is. Though those kind gestures are nice, “it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him”
(Hebrews 11:6 NLT).
While people see your actions and might judge you by those, God sees our hearts and our motivations. He sees the truth. He can see if we have faith in Him or if we put our faith in ourselves, our money or others. He can see if we have love for Him and others, or if we are just out for ourselves, helping those who can help us in return. He can see if our hearts mirror His heart or if our hearts reflect the world’s ways.
To please God, to prove where our hope is, we must have faith in and believe in Him, knowing that He alone is good, and that He is powerful. Faith, though unseen by us, is seen by God. And there is a reward in it.
So, what does this look like for your everyday life?
Do you feel God nudging you? Is He continuing to put something on your heart again and again? Maybe like Sarah, He is telling you to step out into parenthood despite what the world or your career says. Or maybe He is nudging you to move your family though the opinion may be unpopular. Maybe He is giving you a heads-up (wisdom), like He did for Noah, to take measures and make lifestyle changes – as strange as they may seem – to protect and advance your family. Do you sense Him calling you to trust in Him, to put your faith in Him in ways that feel real and hopeful yet seem counterintuitive to what others say?
Though others cannot put their finger on this evidence, though they may not understand your reasons or motivations for deciding things as you are – with God! – God sees your faith. He sees your obedience. Your response to His call is evidence of your faith. It is proof that your heart is with Him, and He will reward your faith. He will reward your family and you (for generations to come!), for putting your hope in Him above and beyond all other things.
Read Hebrews 11 to see just how He rewarded all of the people listed above and so many more amazing stories. You will see that following God requires faith. It requires stepping out into the uncomfortable and the unknown, yet the reward is greater than any you have ever seen or could describe.
Sarah Guldalian 