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Chapter 2: God, Creator and Ruler
2.1 God Creates and Rules
2.1.2
We hold in reverence the whole creation
as the theatre of God’s glory and action.
God rules the lives of individuals and nations
yet does not negate our freedom and responsibility.
Ever at work in the world and in our lives
God directs all things towards fulfillment in Christ.
Faith in a Skeptical World
I think that this section is very hard for people in the modern world today to believe. Is God truly present as this section attests? We can agree that our lives have freedom and responsibility, but does God truly rule “the lives of individuals and nations”?
Today, we can conceive of life apart from a deity or supernatural entity, that things just happen without any divine intervention. We definitely see all of the problems that we have created. The evil and suffering of the world are addressed in the next two sections. But this section attests to the God who is ever present and actively engaged in the world. Present. Actively engaged.
I struggle myself with this belief, and I struggle to proclaim this belief to a skeptical world. When I look at the world as a whole, my skepticism abounds. It is only when I closely examine my own life and everything that I have experienced, that I can trace God’s goodness and presence. When I connect the dots of all the seemingly random events and experiences of my life, I sense God’s fingerprints creating a shape and trajectory. Even all of the difficult moments that I wanted to escape, I now see as God’s work in my life.
I don’t think we’ll ever be able to “prove” empirically that God is present and active. It is only when we can see our lives with the eyes of faith that we see a new reality – the real presence of God in our lives. In that sense, faith is a gift. Let us pray for this gift, so that we may see the reality of God’s presence in our lives and in the world around us.
Dear God, may you grant me the gift of faith, that I may see you at work in my life and in this world, even where skepticism abounds. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!
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