Sometimes young children can come up with the most profound questions about God. For example, the other day, my husband was in the kitchen when five-year-old Lindsey came into the room. “Daddy, Jessica says God isn’t real,” she said.
“Yes, He’s real,” Phil said.
Lindsey turned and ran back into the living room. A few seconds later, Jessica came into the kitchen. “Daddy, is God weal?” she asked.
Fortunately, my husband realized what Jessica was really asking. She knew that God was real—we’ve taught her that—but she wanted to know how that can be the case when you can’t see or touch Him.
Phil pulled a quarter out of his pocket. “Is this quarter real?” he asked her.
She nodded. “How do you know?” he asked.
“Because it’s gway,” she said.
“Can you see it?” he asked.
Again she nodded. This time, Phil folded his hand closed around the quarter. “Now can you see it?”
“No,” she said.
“But is it still real?”
“Yeah,” she said, grinning as if to say that the question was silly.
My husband went on to make the point that just because we can’t see or touch God doesn’t mean He’s not real. I love the illustration he used. In fact, I bet God loved it too. Why? Because it’s the same illustration He used in teaching us about Himself.
God was real long before we became aware of Him (just as the quarter was real before Jessica knew about it). But God knew we needed to see Him. So He sent His Son Jesus. And in seeing Jesus, we saw the Father. But then, He went away for a little while (after His ascension), and we could no longer see Him. In fact, He told His disciples repeatedly that this was exactly what was going to happen—that they would see Him for a little while, but then no longer. Now, He sits at the right hand of the Father, until such time as the Father will send Him to earth to claim those who are His.
Is He still real, even now that we can’t see Him and touch Him? Of course He is. His reality is not determined by our limited, human sight.
But one day, our faith will become sight. One day, the Father will command the Son, “Go!” And the heavens will open, and Jesus will descend, just as He promised. Oh, make no mistake about it. He’s real. On that day, what we now know by faith, we will then know by sight. The Father will open His hand, and we’ll see Jesus. And we’ll know He was there all along.
1 Corinthians 13:12—For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.