Written : 03/08/2019
One of the most thriving questions to the human race is the question of origin. Where do we come from? Is our existence a result of chance or is our existence a result of intentional creation? A plethora of answers have been brought forward by different world views. The objective of this writing is not to directly answer the question of origin, though indirectly and inevitably, will be answered. The article rather moves from a point where God is recognised as the sole Creator and sustainer of the universe. The objective is to explore the importance of constant full awareness of God’s presence.
Many of those who believe in God have also believed in a popular ideology that there are times and activities of neutrality where some activities are neither for, nor against God but are just neutral. A belief that sometimes we are in the presence of God and sometimes not. This largely popularised ideology usually comes through media and other platforms as a way of ‘accommodating’ all world views. Ramifications of this ideology are quite evident in the believer’s intermittent awareness of God’s presence in various moments and not in some. Different aspects of one’s spirituality are affected by this, including spiritual edification, faith, morality and others. The question is, what would happen if one was to be in constant full awareness of God’s presence?
This very short writing focuses on a few aspects of an individual’s life in light of the question.
Spiritual edification
As the creator of the entire Universe, God has lessons planted all around for us to learn. In our day to day activities, nature and our various fields of study, God’s attributes can be seen. Paul puts it this Way, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Intelligent design all around us, testifies of a designer. Even the popular Atheist, Richard Dawkins utters these words to testify of this intelligence: “Well, it could come about in the following way. It could be that at some earlier time, somewhere in the universe, a civilisation evolved… to a very, very high level of technology, and designed a form of life that they seeded on to, perhaps, this planet. Now that is a possibility, and an intriguing possibility. And I suppose it’s possible that you might find evidence for that if you look at details of biochemistry and molecular biology, you might find a signature of some form of designer.” Though his credit goes to a mythic designer, it is indeed true that a signature of a designer can be seen in life all around us with lessons for us to learn about his characteristics
Faith enhancement
This constant awareness enhances one’s faith and ensures growth. God is constantly acting on behalf of individuals, protecting them against harm that could’ve otherwise come upon them. A lack of this awareness causes one to obliviously go through situations and miss the opportunity to see the acts of God and even think that it was of their own doing that they were able to go through. What gave David the confidence that he would be able to defeat Goliath was that he had previously observed the working of God when he defeated a lion and a bear. On the contrary, the rest of the army of Israel was afraid of Goliath because they had missed the lesson that it was God who had defeated on their behalf in previous wars and battles. Our faith in God is therefore enhanced because one becomes well acquainted with how he operates to save us on a day to day basis.
A famous Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias puts it this way: Faith in the biblical sense is substantive, based on the knowledge that the One in whom that faith is placed has proven that He is worthy of that trust. In its essence, faith is a confidence in the person of Jesus Christ and in His power, so that even when His power does not serve my end, my confidence in Him remains because of who He is.
Morality
It is only common sense that people cannot do somethings in front of certain people. Reasons for this differ according to the relationship they have with the other person. The same can be seen in the relationship Joseph had with God. This is seen in his response when faced with Temptation to sleep with his Master’s wife, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” It is the awareness of God’s omnipresence that will help most of us to avoid situations that will put disappointment on God’s face. Before every temptation that we encounter, God weighs whether we would be able to overcome or not and only allows those which we can overcome. Paul puts this way: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). I can only imagine his dismay when we succumb to temptation on which victory is guaranteed. The creator of the universe is indeed in constant interaction with his creation and awareness of this is a necessity to our existence. A daily consult for his guidance is a great starting step to this great consciousness.
Timwritings 