Are you there, God? It's me...wondering...does God exist?

At some point in each of our lives, some version of this thought crosses our minds. Does God really exist? I wondered it as a kid, and if I'm honest, even as a Christ follower for many years, I still sometimes wonder. I love the childlikeness of faith that allows for us to wonder.

Does really God exist though? He does. He really does.

He loves you, and before He created earth and time, land and water, the sun, the moon, or the stars, He dreamt of you in His heart. God crafted the earth and everything in it to be good for you and for me. While He was generating light and land, He had us in mind. He designed you after His own image and likeness. I was recently reading a book by Bill Vanderbush called “The Sound of Your Blood” and Bill explains creation this way:

“When God created, He didn’t just toss life into the void. He spoke into specific environments, and those environments shaped the life that sprang forth. This isn’t just theology - it’s the heartbeat of who you are, where you belong, and how you’re meant to live. “Picture this with me. God, the Creator, stands before the vast shimmering sea. He doesn’t just snap His fingers to make fish. No, He leans in and speaks to the water itself. ‘Let the sea spring forth swarms of living creatures” (Genesis 1:20, ESV). And the water listens!

“Now shift your gaze to the earth, rich and teeming with possibility. God doesn’t whisper to the sky or the stars to make plants and animals. He speaks directly into the ground. ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation…let the earth bring forth living creatures” (Genesis 1:11, 24, ESV). And the earth responds!

“But here’s where the story turns personal. When it’s time to create mankind, God doesn’t speak to water or earth. He turns inward, speaking to the very essence of Himself. ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’ (Genesis 1:26, ESV). Did you catch that? He speaks to the environment of His own being. Humanity isn’t birthed from sea or soil, but from the heart of God Himself. That’s why the Bible says, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28, ESV). You’re not tethered to a physical place like the fish to water or trees to earth. Your environment is God Himself - His presence, His love, His life.”

Does God Exist? How can we really know? I invite you to give Him a chance to make Himself known to you.

Each of us is 1 of over 8 billion people on the planet right now. It’s hard not to feel lost in a sea of people. Every one of those 8 billion people, along with everyone who has ever walked the earth over the centuries, was handcrafted in the heart of God. We are each unique, with our own set of gifts, talents, and abilities. There are endless combinations of looks, quirks, physical attributes, gifts and talents, and God loves each of us fully.

My Origin Story Does God exist?

Every one of us has an origin story. I grew up the oldest of four kids. Our parents divorced when I was somewhere around 9 or 10. I ended up helping a lot with raising my younger siblings as my mom tried to make ends meet without having to move us out of our house. As a result, I “grew up” pretty quickly. Those habits followed me into adulthood. I was always a bossy hard worker. I looked out for those around me, and I always tried to take burdens from people, even when it caused me to be overburdened. The things that happened in my childhood didn’t push me towards drugs, alcohol, or addictions, but they caused me to take on personality traits that weren’t necessarily healthy. 

I was always the dependable one, but I didn’t know how to depend on anyone. 

If something happened where someone needed support, I was usually there to bring support, but I didn’t know how to let anyone support me. 

When a friend needed a helping hand, I was willing! But I don’t know how to ask for help. 

I don’t like to be fussed over, and I hate it when I am the one in need. It makes me feel weak. I don’t feel that way about other people, but I hold myself to a different (unattainable) standard. 

The culture of the generation I grew up in affirmed all of this. I’m a part of Generation X. There are memes on social media like, “Gen X - Raised on hose water and neglect.” Or “Oldest daughters don’t get a childhood, they get an internship in running a family.” Because of those things, I just thought my childhood was normal. I thought everyone had a dysfunctional childhood. 

My Story is only a piece of His Story (Does God Exist Really?)

In the last year, I’ve learned that my origin story wasn’t necessarily what God’s origin story was for me. He thought of me and dreamt of me in His heart before the world began. As I learn more about God and how much God loves me, I’m learning I’m a part of this: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10, CSB). I am His workmanship, His masterpiece, His living poem, and so are you. He created each of us in Christ before time began, or “ahead of time,” for good works that we may walk in them. He is real. He holds the universe together. He holds every speck of dust in place. “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28, NIV). “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1, NIV). He uses every hard thing I have gone through to forge strength, perseverence, and trust in Him in my story. It’s been hard, but He’s far from done. I can share my story and bring hope to people.

Even though my childhood was far from perfect, God knew what I was going to need to be an overcomer, even when the enemy was working hard to take me out. He encoded strengths, gifts, and talents into me so I would overcome the things I would go through. I didn’t give my life to Jesus until I was 19, and I didn’t become a serious follower of Jesus until I was about 35. I made tons of mistakes along the way! Smoking, drinking, people pleasing, sexual promiscuity, hiding my true self, working hard to get attention, looking for love in all the wrong places, and lots of other junk are a part of my story. Even so, I look back upon my childhood and I can see Him there. He was my protector when I was in horrendous situations and I felt like I couldn’t go to my parents for help. I can see where He put people in my life to care about me, love me, support me, encourage me, believe in me, and speak life into me. He put His disciples in my life to pray for me, drag me to church, and teach me about being a Christ follower before I ever knew that was a thing. People whose names you will never know poured into the life of a little girl. These men and women are famous in heaven but not on the earth. 

We all go through hard things. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t exist, He isn’t present, or He’s forgotten about you. Jesus warned people we would go through hard things, but He also said not to worry, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). 

God exists, and He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). I know, because He loves me with the same everlasting love. God dreamt of me in His heart before the foundation of the world. “For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him” (Ephesians 1:4 CSB). If we go to the creation account, we see the cast: God, as He was creating the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), along with the Spirit of God hovering over the depths (Genesis 1:2), and Jesus (Ephesians 1:3-4, 1 Peter 1:20, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16-17). God speaks and chaos becomes order, nothingness becomes something, and it’s all held together by Jesus. “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17, NIV).  

Give God a chance to show you He Does Exist

I hope you think about giving Jesus a chance. Allow Him a chance to make Himself real to you. I got to a point in my life where I just said, “Lord, I give up! I need you to help me. I have messed up my life, and I’m ready to give it over to you.” If that’s you, I stand with you! I pray right now that you will decide to give Jesus Christ a place in your heart, and that you will believe God has been dreaming of this day since before the foundation of the world. Giving your heart to God can be as easy as saying, “God, if you’re real, I want to know you.” There’s no formula. You just have to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord.

If you want to know more about how to follow Christ and enter into conversations with Him, check out my book, Belief Rehab: You Are Enough. Together, we will discover what God planned when he created you,  fall in love with the YOU that you’re becoming, and learn to find joy in the everyday moments.