From The Beginning To The End

Growing up as a believer I always heard that God is with me and would never forsake me, but for a large portion of my life, I could not feel Him. I questioned if God was really with me and if He was then why did He feel so distant. I knew that God was very much involved in the lives of the people we read about in the Bible but it seemed to me that after Jesus was taken up into heaven, God’s involvement in the lives of the believers dwindled. If you search the Bible for answers to this question you will quickly find that this is the furthest thing from the truth. Ever since the beginning of time, through Jesus’ time on earth and even now in the twenty-first century, God is present and in control if we allow Him to be.

From the very first sentence in the Bible, we are introduced not only to God but also to His power. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” In that verse, we can see that God has great power, enough power to call the whole world into existence. We also are given a reference point to where it all started for the human race and when our relationship with God started. We are introduced to the fact that God existed before humans and establish both heaven and earth with His voice alone. It is important to know that even though God was at the beginning that is not where He stayed. Throughout the rest of the Bible, we see God’s hand in everything and even a few select people were able to see Him face to face. In the new testament, we are introduced to the second part of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. He walked the earth and was fully man and fully God for thirty-three years. During that time He had a personal relationship with the disciples as well as many other believers, skeptics, and sinners. When Jesus left us to return to His rightful place in heaven He left us with a helper, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in us today and guides us on how to live a pure life.

I share all of this to illustrate the point that since the beginning of time God was and He will always be. He created the world, then came into the world to walk with us, and finally gave us a part of His Spirit that dwells inside of us as a guide (For more information about the Trinity check out our Three in One post). Through all of these outlets, God proves Himself to be present in our lives just as much as He was when Jesus walked with the Disciples. We struggle with our relationship with God and not being able to feel Him because He is no longer physically next to us, but that doesn’t mean He is any less involved in our lives. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Do you believe that God is with you just as much as he was with the people of the Bible?

If you are having a hard time believing God is still with you, I challenge you to just look around. Look at the sun that shines and gives plants and flowers life. Look at the mountains that rise up and look as if they are touching heaven. Look at the ocean, and how it has high and low tides but remains within its boundary. If you are having a hard time seeing God it might be because you are overlooking Him. Take a step back and look at your blessings. You have a means of income, a place to sleep, the internet to read this post, a computer or phone to use, and electricity. That is a lot more than a lot of people have in foreign countries and even in your own neighborhood. We are given so much that we often overlook it. God’s hand is in everything and we can see that when we choose to look for Him.

God has remained with us from the beginning of time and the beginning of our lives. Psalm 139:13 tells us that, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Even before we were conceived, God was with us and had a plan for us. because of this, we can hold tight to Him even when we find ourselves facing struggles. Even if we can not see Him or feel Him we need to have faith that He is for us. Hebrews 11:1 speaks of faith in this way, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” We might not be walking through the fire like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego but God walks with us daily through every struggle we face. We might not be thrown into the lion’s den like Daniel but God shuts the mouths of our lions and protects us from those who want to hurt us. We are not left to defend ourselves, we have a God for that. A God that can control the raging sea, shut the mouths of lions, move mountains, and change the heart of skeptics. This is the same God from day one, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. We have a God that never changes and wants a relationship with us. We can trust Him because He is the creator of all things, Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

So even when we feel alone, God is with us and for us. We just need to open our eyes and recognize His love and protection. We have to give up our want to be in control and allow God to take the reins. His way is much better than ours because our way is based on a worldly perspective and God’s way is based on an eternal perspective.

Don't forget to check out all of our other blog posts on the site and listen to the Awethentic Podcast!