By Chris WittsWednesday 20 Jul 2022Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
There’s something inside of us that wants to respond to God, even atheists. People who say they don’t believe in God. Sometimes they’re the people that cry out to God. Why? Because I believe God has put the knowledge of his existence in our heart. There was a writer by the name of Anne Lamont who, as she grew up, her dad was an atheist, and he forced her and her sisters and brothers to agree to a contract. This contract was their agreement that there was no God.
“Even when I was a child”, she said, “I knew that when I said hello. Someone heard.”
She was meaning of course, speaking to the divine. Speaking to God, she knew that somehow God had wired an invitation in her heart to know him.
So that’s what we are made for. I know God and I’m known to him. That’s the thing that brings us joy and contentment more than anything else. And that’s what many people will tell you. So God has made us to know him for this wonderful reason.
There’s a book called ‘God Is Closer Than You Think’, written by John Wartburg, and he actually describes this impression that he had of Michelangelo’s painting. You might know this painting of God and Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and he says, if you look carefully at the painting, you’ll notice that the Finger of God is extended towards the man with great vigour. He twists his body to move it as close to the man as possible. His head is turned towards the man, his eyes fixed on him. God’s arms stretched out. His index finger is extended straight forward. Every muscle there is taught, he said.
Before Michael Angelo, the art scholars say the standard paintings of creation showed God standing on the ground, helping Adam to his feet. But not here. This is a god rushing toward Adam on a cloud.
So there it is. God reaches out to us, and of course, one of the ways that we know is through our conscience. You see, people are wired with this sense of what is right and wrong. We call it a code of ethics. Even as a child, I think you probably knew it was wrong to hurt somebody, and it was a good thing to help people. So your parents hopefully reinforce that particular moral code. But who actually gave you the moral code in the first place?
Max Lucado, in one of his book, says, “you aren’t alone with your principles. Every culture has frowned upon selfishness. Every culture, he said, has celebrated courage, punished dishonesty and rewarded nobility. He said. There’s a universal standard that exists. We may violate or ignore the code, but we can’t deny it. Even people who have never heard of God sense that his law is within them.”
I like what Romans 2:15, says in the message Translation. “There is something deep within humanity that echoes God’s yes and no right and wrong.”
In 2 Timothy 3:16 – it actually says everything in the Scriptures is God’s word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people for correcting them and showing them how to live. So if you’ve tried to live by the principles of the Bible, you will admit it certainly works. It’s almost like a handbook for life. Because the Bible has so many statements from God, it reveals his heart. It reveals his will.
And these stories in the Bible are pursuing a story that God loves us. He wants us. He wants you to know him. So I think of Jesus, God’s only son, who came for the purpose of making it possible for us to know God. You know, in the past they spoke through the profits. But now God has spoken to us through his son. That’s an amazing story. And I hope that you’ll be able to know God.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, it is possible to know you. We stumble about Lord, but you’ve given us so many signs. Help us, Lord, to connect to you today. Amen.