Why Do I Need God? — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

I recall Billy Graham once saying, you can’t put God in a test tube and prove that He exists. He was trying to answer a question from someone who asked, Why should I believe in a God that doesn’t exist? I think it was an honest enough question and one that I think a lot of people ask. So let me try and answer the question, Why do I need God?

It lines up with the person who says, I can handle life all right on my own, thank you very much. How can someone be so secure and confident in himself or herself? How can we be so absolute that we don’t need God? I would be particularly interested in knowing where and how you find strength when the doctor says, I must tell you that we’ve done everything that medical science can do. If you know how to pray, you’d better do it now.

I’d like to know whom you turn to when you’ve laid the body of your mate in the cold ground. And you’ve heard the minister say dust to dust and ashes to ashes. How do you handle those difficulties, especially those which strike closest to your heart and home? And as they used to say in the World Wars, there are no atheists in foxholes.

The fact is that you were made by God and for God.

Within every heart is a God-shaped vacuum, as Rene Pascal described it, which can only be filled by the Almighty God. Long ago, Augustine acknowledged this by saying, Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.

The Australian National Church Life Surveys have been doing a lot of research for years now, asking questions like this, and according to their 2024 Australian Community Survey, nearly 6 in 10 Australians say they believe in God or a higher power, that’s 58%.

1 in 5 say they don’t know, and 1 in 5 say they do not believe, and the respondents were asked in the survey to select the statement that comes closest to their beliefs about God. And of those who affirm the existence of something higher, 26% said there is a personal God, and 32% said there is some sort of spirit or life.

Force and these percentages have remained fairly stable since 2019 and it’s a very interesting statistic. I think it’s the God connection which gives meaning and purpose to an otherwise often irrational existence. It’s the certainty that there is an Almighty who is not disinterested in what happens to his children. The children of Israel in the Old Testament had literally wandered in the wilderness of Babylon for 70 years as slaves. Eventually God comes to them with a message of hope. I know the plans I have for you. I want you to enjoy success. I do not plan to harm you. I will give you hope for the years to come, and then you will call out to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

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That message from God is still relevant to you and I today. We can find God for ourselves when we search for Him. That’s not a difficult exercise. God is always around us, longing for us to embrace Him, and by recognising that He is near, we can find comfort and strength in every situation.

It’s about feeling that loving embrace even in the toughest moments, remembering that we’re never alone. It deepens the connection we have with God and helps our faith journey. Sometimes life gets in the way of experiencing God’s presence and being in a relationship with Him. We get distracted by all the things we have to do or work that takes up our time and mental energy. We live busy lives, yet it’s possible with a bit of time and dedication to connect with the living God.

Each day, each hour, and each minute, when it comes to connection with God, it’s no surprise that prayer is at the top of the list, and prayer is our way of communicating with God.

What we forget is that prayer is a conversation and that God will talk back to us. Oftentimes we don’t hear a voice but He speaks to us through His Word and moments with His Spirit.

He wants to hear your honest questions. He wants to offer you understanding. He wants to hear your worries. Take a first step forward toward connecting with God in prayer. And if you’re not familiar with prayer this morning, approach God with respect, show honour for who and what He is.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, I think of that person who asked the question, do I really need you? Well, yes, Lord, we each need you. We are not left to wander through this life on our own. You have some definite answers to give us, and I pray that we might be alert to those answers as we commune with you, as we pray, and as we talk to other people. Help us to have those open conversations with you and others, that’s going to help us. Amen.

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