God – A Source of Conviction
If You have a super-telescope that can view the entire Universe, you will first of all see that rare planet called Earth. You will observe that, amidst the totally lifeless universe, this tiny planet has an abundance of life and all kinds of life-supporting elements. This rare, exceptional sight is so overwhelming that you will be wonder-struck.
You will also see that – the Earth, along with its moon and the other planets, is continuously in motion, i.e. it rotates on its axis, and orbits around the sun. Then this entire solar system revolves in the wider circle of the galaxy. And this galaxy rotates in the much wider circle of the other galaxies.
The movement of the stars and planets in this vast endless space will appear astonishingly strange to your sight. You will then see an unbelievable number of vast balls of fire, called stars, which rotate with great speed. Amidst all these astral bodies, our Earth appears hardly bigger than a grain of sand. And this sight will be so strange to you that your own existence will appear to be totally insignificant and valueless. This experience will lead you to the discovery of two things at the same time. Firstly, there is a powerful God in this universe, who is its Creator as well as its Sustainer. If you can recall this sight of the universe to your mind, your heart will automatically call out that the universe itself is a clear proof of its Creator. Secondly, you will feel that you are a helpless and an insignificant creature in this universe, and that without God, your very existence is not possible. This is the most important reality of life. When one comprehends this reality, one will voluntarily turn towards God. With one’s whole being, one will call out:
“O God, help me! For, without Your help everything will go wrong.”
In this vast universe, man’s only source of support is God. It is by God’s guidance that man’s ship is brought safely to the shore. Belief in God is the most important thing for man. Man is nothing without this belief.
Sometimes, in the course of daily life, a feeling of helplessness comes over man, the same kind of helplessness that he experiences after the observation of the universe through a telescope.
All men and women have the feeling that they suffer from limitations, when they cannot achieve what they want. These limitations make them feel helpless. Each one of us has experienced either a loss, illness, accidents, death or old age. These experiences repeatedly remind us of the fact that we are in need of a superior power. Without the help of such a superior power, we cannot go on in life. These feelings amount to a psychological proof of the existence of God. We go through this psychological experience at some point of time in our lives. Each one of us, in his inner feelings, witnesses the existence of God.
The nature of every human being constantly urges him or her to recognise the need for God. Without God, our lives cannot be complete. Without the help of God, we cannot succeed in life.
Man’s position is further illustrated by the following example.
A hundred years ago, a ship sailed from the coast of America to Africa. When the ship was far out to the deep sea, a severe storm broke out. The ship began to shake and jolt. All the passengers were in a state of great fear and anxiety. At this time of crisis, one of the passengers saw a little girl sitting in a corner of the deck. She was playing with her dolls, quite undisturbed by the storm. On seeing this, he became curious and asked her, “Do you know what is happening to our ship?” She asked, “What is the matter?” The passenger told her that the ship was caught in a dangerous storm. The girl calmly replied: “You know, my father is the captain of this ship. He is not going to let it sink.”
The girl’s faith in her father saved her from being a victim of fear at this crucial moment. The same is true of a religious person. He has the same childlike faith in his Creator, God Almighty. But his is a faith of far greater intensity. When catastrophe threatens, he can say with much stronger conviction that God Almighty is the captain of the ship of his life: He will never let it sink at any time or in any situation. In short, spirituality awakens the mind. Spirituality is a great strength at all times. Spirituality is the best formula for character building. Spirituality is a promoter of all good and a killer of all evils. Spirituality is the essence of all religions. Let’s all adopt this universal religion.
