Strange title, you might think. Does it read wrong? Is it a typo? Surely, it is supposed to say, “Why do we believe in God?”… I was pondering this today randomly when I was imagining a stranger asking me this question. And how I would react. What would I say to someone who asks why I believe in a Supreme Being?
And I as I was having this imaginary conversation in my head, I imagined I would react by saying, “I think you mean, ‘when’ do we believe in God?”, and the imaginary stranger in my head would be taken aback and say, “What do you mean?” And then I started monologuing… Like I do when I’m having conversations in my head.
I think it’s more appropriate to ask “When” instead of “Why” because it sets the conversation about religion up more appropriately. When do you believe in God? When does the world turn to a Higher Being? It’s so common to say God isn’t there when things are going well for yourself, and so easy to turn to the Lord when life harder than usual and throwing challenge after challenge at you.
So if this person were to answer the question, “When do we believe in God?” Would it be when they need Him most? And would they start attending church, reading scriptures, praying and so on when they realize they need Him. In the final hours of desperation, you see on dramatic movies and shows the characters kneel before a Supreme Being for a miracle. So why do we wait for that moment for His protection and grace? How can we come to God regularly for this protection and love to always encircle us? This, I’d say, would be active worship, active membership, and actively partaking.