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[Purge Me]

Why does an omni3 creator of the universe that desires a relationship with us make it so difficult to find him? It appears simple to find him if you're born within a community of believers and impossible if you're born within a community that believes in a 'false' god.

I don't choose hell, given a choice, and I'd believe in a god if he revealed himself to me. So far, complete silence a number of times I earnestly sought.

[jimwalton]

It's not God that has made a relationship with him difficult, but our sin. Our sin creates barriers, blindness, and mental obstacles to his reality. It's also true that in this environment of sin, the more clear God reveals himself, the harder it is for people to find him. I know that sounds contradictory, but when God revealed himself quite clearly during the Exodus, Pharaoh just got more obstinate and the people of Israel turned away from him by the thousands. For some reason his obviousness created more problems than it solved. The same thing happened when Jesus was around. He walked around doing good, healing people, teaching noble things, and the response from most people was...

1. OK, Give ME what I want and do things for ME.
2. I'm not interested in spiritual things, thank you.
3. We need to kill this guy.

Hm, great. But the Bible says that the Holy Spirit works inside of people, subtly and hidden, and that works much better. I guess the heart is a better judge than the eyes and ears.

> It appears simple to find him if you're born within a community of believers and impossible if you're born within a community that believes in a 'false' god.

Actually the opposite is what seems to be true. "Christians" in Europe in a previous generation turned away from God by the hundreds of thousands, and Europe is now largely a secular continent. The same thing seems to be happening in America. But there is a HUGE community of believers growing in Muslim countries, China, and Africa.

> I don't choose hell, given a choice

There are only two choices, fundamentally: Either you believe in God and want to be part of Him and what he is doing, or you don't. "Hell" at its core is separation from the life of God. We can't be sure of what form it will have, or the duration of it, but the Bible speaks of it with images that show us it's horrible to be separated from God. So basically, if you're not *for* God, you're against him, and that's your choice. So you are making a choice.

> I'd believe in a god if he revealed himself to me

The Bible shows it's not so. God revealed himself many times to many people, and many rejected him anyway. I guess it depends what you're looking for. Some people want a flash of light, a clear visual sign, an audible voice, or something like that. But there are often two responses to such things: (1) did that really happen? Did I really see what I thought I saw?, and (2) "Do it again."

God reveals himself to us in the Bible. When I read it, seeking God, it's like the pages come alive. I pray about what I'm reading, I ponder on it, and it's like God is talking to me and showing himself to me. I don't need handwriting on the wall or an audible voice. What I need is to know it's real and true.

> So far, complete silence a number of times I earnestly sought.

Again, it depends what you are looking for. I used to pray and ask to hear an audible voice. Never happened. I used to pray and ask for a visible or undeniable sign of some sort. Didn't happen. That's all subjective anyway. I have to be careful that I don't just hear what I want to hear and see what I want to see. But when I read the Bible, carefully and meditatively, seeking to understand and to know, seeking to "see" and "hear", it's not a complete silence. It can't be. That's where I have found God reveals himself to me.