There will be many who say that feeling the presence of God is a delusion. All the feelings, all the convictions of the existence of a higher being, a personal God, is merely a fabrication of the mind to cope with some psychological need - or to put it another way, people who believe in God are weak, vulnerable and therefore susceptable to believing in a saviour, a friend, one who redeems and forgives because it is an attractive solution to feeling better about oneself.
It is a means of finding identity, a sense of belonging. It is the result of being brainwashed so you disengage the rational part of the mind and let others do the thinking for you. It is the safe option. It is for a sense of security. It is basically something that is not for those who have life figured out and are doing well - “I’m strong enough and intelligent enough to cope with life, therefore I don’t need to lean on the idea of a God to get through my day to day”.
I know that this is what a lot of people are thinking today. In fact, I know that if anyone who reads this and knows me, will probably think I have lost the plot altogether or have had such a terrible emotional break down that I’m unable to think straight. Let me try to explain.
Imagine you see the doctor one day. The doctor tells you that because of the bad lifestyle habits that you’ve developed over the years, you are now terminally ill and going to die.
Now imagine the doctor saying that you are however entitled to a treatment, and although it may not be easy as it will require from you many changes in your thinking, it will most definitely save you and it is also free.
The thing is…you feel absolutely fine. There is not a single thing in your body that tells you that your life is at risk.
So there are 3 possible reactions to this news:
1) You don’t believe him, you feel fine and therefore he is wrong. In fact, you are somewhat offended by his criticism of your lifestyle, as far as you are concerned it is normal. You live life by your own observations and make your own assessments because you are a smart person. You ignore what he says and go on living your life because you know yourself better than anyone else
2) You do believe him (he is after all a doctor), but you would rather live “sick” at risk of death because you don’t want to endure painful treatment or change your lifestyle - you live as you want, no matter how short and finite a life it will end up being.
3) You believe him and follow his advice so you have a chance of saving your life. It will disrupt your lifestyle as you have to put aside your old self and take on a new identity - in fact, you may lose some of your friends but you know in the long run it is the sensible thing to do and you put your trust in the doctor.
Let’s consider each of these:
1) You don’t believe him because you feel fine. Smart people, really smart people, know that there are many things in life that are simply beyond our knowledge and comprehension, and even if we have a good idea about something (like a theory that gains mainstream popularity) we can not be sure if it will be proven. For this reason, living life believing in only what is observed, tested and validated is a very limiting way of living life indeed. There may be others who know much more than you and it will therefore require faith to take their word on what they say is truth.
2) You do believe him but you would rather continue life as it is. This response is driven by the uncomfortable fear of the unknown. It is the avoidance of pain. Let’s face it, not a lot of us like visiting our doctors, they are only there to deal with people who are sick which means if you are engaging with one, it could be bad news. Some people go through their whole lives avoiding the doctor even at times they know they are ill. We would rather not have the inconvenience of acknowledging it and just live with our own debilitating ailments just to maintain our own lifestyle. This is an emotional response.
3) You do believe him and follow his advice so you have a chance of saving your life. As a clear minded, rationally thinking individual you could do worse than responding in this way. You are a smart person, yet humble enough to know that there are some things that are just simply beyond your knowledge and ability. But you have faith in the doctor, you believe in what he says and you trust that he has your best interest at heart. You are not afraid of making some changes in your thinking to achieve what you would otherwise not be able to accomplish by yourself.
For me, I know which response I would take. I am not a doctor, therefore I can not heal myself. Even if the doctor explained the science of everything related to the illness it will not be a guarantee that I will understand it, nor know what to do with it.
Do I even need to understand it? Not really. I know it has saved countless others and they are living happy fullfilling lives. I only need to accept the fact that he wants to help and let him get on with it, listening carefully to his advice moving forwards. This would be a smart move given what is at risk.
So does having faith in the doctor mean I am weak & vulnerable? No. Does following the doctors advice mean I am disengaging the rational part of my mind? No. In fact, quite the opposite - it takes clear, rational thinking to understand and accept what we do and do not know about life, and it takes great courage to face up to a challenging request.
Leaning on Jesus to save our spiritual lives is not because we are weak, vulnerable or failing to think for ourselves. Christians in essence have had the wisdom to go to Him and hear what He has to say. We have considered it, believe in it and trust it. This is called faith. Not saved by our own actions and understanding but by our acceptance of grace and healing.
Jesus responded “Healthy people don’t need a doctor - sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent”
- Luke 5:31
Note - I apologise for not having any further references, I had a lot of stuff bubble up to the surface today (yes, there will be more long posts) and have been frantically trying to type it all out. What I can tell you though is that I have read a lot of C.S. Lewis in the past and more recently Timothy Keller. This is no doubt a “poor mans” mashup of their excellent writing, so please read their books if it should interest you.
