Why Is Faith So Tough To Prove?

I once met NFL legend Walter Payton. “Sweetness” was the keynote speaker at a fundraiser and my mom, who worked for the city at the time, was able to get me a seat alongside all of the dignitaries. At the end of the event I got the chance to talk to Mr. Payton and he shook my hand. It’s one of those childhood memories that will always stay with me. But I can’t prove to you that I met Walter Payton. You just have to take my word for it.

I could probably dig up a number of facts about the fundraiser. With the internet I likely could find information including the exact date of the event. Most likely there is a story or two from the local newspaper and they might even carry Mr. Payton’s picture. I doubt they mention me though. I was just a starstruck kid with a well connected mom. Unfortunately any pictures I had with him or any autographs he gave me were destroyed years ago (long story). So the facts that would put Mr. Payton in town on a certain date do nothing to prove that I actually met him.

There’s someone else that I’ve met but would have a tough time proving to anyone that I know Him. In fact I’ve been blessed with a relationship that has lasted well over thirty years. God has revealed Himself to me in many ways over those thirty some odd years, to the point where my faith is built on the word of His testimony as communicated in my heart by His Spirit. Yes, I could probably dig up a bunch of facts and even some archeological findings that prove a number of the events that are recorded in the Bible but that wouldn’t prove that God exists or that I know Him. Yes, I seek truth but at the end of the day my faith is built on the revelation of His glory and His testimony is what substantiates His Bible for me.

Recently I got caught up in a Twitter conversation during which I put on a very poor showing. The other person challenged me to produce facts and then accused me of not wanting to know the truth when I refused to do so. For the record, I refused because I’ve played that game before and found that at the end of the day it’s a losing proposition based on the fact that the argument answers the wrong questions. In reality only two questions matter. Does God exist? Is He who the Bible says He is? I know the answer to both questions but could never prove those answers during the course of an online conversation. To do so I would have to prove that I know God and I can’t do that anymore than I can prove that I met Walter Payton.

Why is faith so tough to prove? It’s tough because it boils down to something that only the Holy Spirit Himself can prove to others. All I can do is live in obedience to the will of God and to what I know to be true. His light, revealed in the testimony of my life, will reveal His existence.