Are You Real?

Before I accepted Christ as my Saviour at nineteen I was a mess. I grew up in church, but had many misconceptions about who God was, who His Son, Jesus, was, and about what that Holy Ghost thing was all about (Sorry, Holy Spirit). Even though nineteen is "young", I had suffered several life-times worth of hurt by that tender young age and tried to "soothe" those hurts away any way I could.

When my friend Rob got saved one summer, he was so excited that he came back to college early to tell those of us who had elected to stay the summer about what had happened to him. He showed up unannounced on the doorstep of the house where I was staying. When I opened the door to see who was knocking, I could immediately see in his eyes that there was something noticeably different about him. Before he could even say anything, I said to him, "Rob, I don't know what you have, but whatever it is, I want some!" With a laugh, Rob came in and began to tell me about accepting Christ as his saviour and introducing me to the Person of Jesus. I knew that what he was telling me must be true because of the change I saw in him, but more than that, he was able to back up everything he said directly out of the Bible, the true Word of God.

Because of all the pain I had experienced in my past, I wanted to believe Rob in the worst way, but was afraid to because I could not stand to be hurt and forsaken one more time, especially by God. It would have killed me. What if God really wasn't as big and loving as Rob believed Him to be? And what about all the bad things going on in the world? How could God, if He was so loving, allow all those bad things to happen? I had grown up in church, why hadn't I known Jesus like this? If I had grown up in church and believed in God, why did I have to accept Christ as my Saviour? Wasn't I already a pretty good person? And why did God allow all those awful, painful things to happen to me? If He really loved me, how could he allow those things to happen??

I had a million and one questions for Rob (and God)...and a million and one hurts I wanted erased. Rob spent several months leading Bible studies, teaching me about God, and meeting all my skepticism with scripture so that I could understand Who God was. One evening, after one of Rob's Bible studies, I had more questions I wanted answers to. Rob just smiled at me with the love of Jesus in his eyes, chuckled, and said, "You know, Liz, you don't have to understand everything. You just have to believe!" Something about what he said rang with truth. I accepted Christ as my Saviour that evening and began the life-long adventure of finding out WHO God is.

Now, some thirty years later, I realize that my big questions back then could have been narrowed down to just a few:

"God, are you real?"

"God, Who are you?"

"Are You really who the Bible claims you to be?"

and,

"Will you show me?"


Many people question God's authenticity in such a crazy, mixed-up, hurting world. I invite you to take some time by yourself. Talk to God. Ask Him those questions. Ask Him to show you the answers so that you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is Who he says that He is. Begin to read the Bible, a little at a time (many recommend starting with one of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John). Ask God to show you Who Jesus is. Is Jesus for real? Are You for real, God? And what about the Holy Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit for real? What is the Holy Spirit? (This might help you: the Holy Spirit is definitely not an it, but a Who). Keep asking God and keep searching your Bible until you know, in your heart, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is Who He claims to be in the Bible. You will not be disappointed that you asked.