July 14 - Faith is the Evidence

 Read today’s texts first: Isaiah 19-21; Hebrews 11

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The greatest evidence for the existence of God, and for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is our faith! 

We often hear from skeptics, “give us evidence for your faith!” I love to do that, because there is more than enough objective proof. But the greatest evidence for the existence of God and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is more subjective – it is our faith. Hebrews 11 starts with this truth: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It then illustrates the point with the “hall of faith,” an impressive list of Bible heroes whose lives and, in some cases, martyred deaths, provide irrefutable proof that there is a God. They obviously knew Him personally. When we want to introduce Jesus to those who don’t know Him, there is nothing more compelling than our own testimony.

As for objective proof, our readings in Isaiah provide a small sample. Most of us may skip through the prophecies about the nations surrounding Israel, dismissing them as irrelevant. But former skeptics, like Josh McDowell, came to faith because of seemingly insignificant passages like these. Check out his books on Evidence Demands a Verdict where he documents how these prophecies were fulfilled to the smallest detail.

The only mention of Sargon, King of Assyria, in Scripture (20:1), was considered a mistake by many secular historians (earlier editions of Encyclopedia Britannica said just that) because no other extrabiblical sources mentioned him. That was until French archaeologist, Paul Botta, discovered King Sargon’s 27 acre palace in Khorsabad, Iraq. Documents were found confirming not only his attacks against Ashdod, mentioned in Isaiah 20:1, but also his capturing of 27,290 Israelites mentioned in 2 Kings 17:5-6 (started with Shalmaneser but ended with Sargon). If you’ve ever wondered why the Bible includes so many facts and figures, truth is in the details. The Bible is the greatest archaeological document ever written!

Beyond the objective support is some powerful subjective evidence. It is my joy to work with people who have walked with Jesus for a long time, up to eight or nine decades. They may not be able to express everything they’ve experienced over that time, but the resilience and perseverance of their faith inspires me. God’s grace so evident in their lives confirms not only God’s existence, but His unfailing love and care for His children.

“Lord, knowing You is all the proof I need. I pray that my faith will become the evidence others may need to believe.”