“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to
you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:30)
It takes just a bit of imagination to be with the Lord Jesus on the hillside at the time when the anemones and scarlet poppies, here called lilies of the field, burst into an array of exciting colors. They last but for a few days, then dry up, and they were gathered by the women to heat up their ovens. Why then bother to offer the world such beauty if but for a few days? It remains a sublime mystery. Some are curious, others don’t care. For those, however, who do see the loving Creator in nature, it’s proof if evidence is needed that He is responsible for it all. Whether noticed in a rose, a newborn kitten or from the vantage of a space ship orbiting the earth, one finds it difficult to refute Sachmo Armstrong’s gravel lyric: “It’s a wonderful world.”
On a given day we may pass by dozens of persons. Most will ignore us and go on their way. We hardly remember their faces. Some may cut us off on the highways; nevertheless, now and then one will perform an act of kindness that makes the day worthwhile, causing us to be glad we were in a position to touch that soul with warmth, and giving God the glory for creating us for the capacity to care about one another.
We may perform the spiritual calisthenics of morning and evening prayer, reciting the terms we had learned from childhood when all of a sudden a word leaps up from the flow of phrases to illumine our hearts with a warmth that captures us in a thrill of meaning that we had not quite understood before. It may be that we had some experience that lighted the passage in a new way. When that happens we are aware that we had been touched by the Spirit, and we thank the Lord for coming to us in that epiphany of union even if it lasts but for an instant.
All of the above are ways that the spiritually astute will affirm not just God’s existence, but ways that God abides within us. Nature with its beauty, order and majesty is for those with eyes to see, the most self-evident proof. Those whom the Master calls our brothers and sisters every now and then prove by their kindness and affection that He lives in them as well as in us. The third place we find Him is within ourselves. Perhaps the third location is most difficult of all, especially in these days when so much of society is constantly calling attention to what’s happening outside, training us to be bored with silence, carrying cell phones because we can’t wait to talk on those connected to walls, urging us to pay attention to the trivialities and nonsense that take up much of television. Despite that, we can, if we train ourselves to cherish our souls and flee from noise and distractions, nourish the bond with the Holy Spirit within our souls.
Finally but first and most precious is our life in Christ. Read slowly the Sermon on the Mount and ponder on who but He could conceive of such a program for spiritual perfection. Granted, for the cynic it may be absurd, but for those who are serious about salvation, it lays out the only way to the Kingdom. Then read the last chapters of any or all the gospels and ask who but He would do that for the life of the world? He, Jesus Christ, is the greatest proof for the existence of God, Himself being of the same nature and essence of the Father Whom He presents to the world.