Why don't God just make it Easier to believe in Him?

I can relate to what you are saying because there was a time when I wondered if God existed. I spent many, many hours sitting in a Church looking at a picture of Jesus and WISHING that He was real. He looked so friendly and caring and I thought that if anyone could ever love me, maybe He could. I wanted to believe He was real but I couldn't. I can now say that I have known, loved and served my loving heavenly Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, for 51 of my 73 years. "Why can't He show Himself?" God has revealed Himself! The whole Bible is His revelation of Himself to mankind. Throughout history God revealed Himself in many different ways, with His final and complete revelation in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who said "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father" I'll agree with you that we can NEVER know all ABOUT God - but it is so wonderful that we CAN KNOW GOD personally, individually, intimately. Knowing God is not a mental exercise: it is a RELATIONSHIP. In the 51 years that I have known Him, he has been my constant Companion. He is just as real to me as is any human being I know. He is my Teacher, my Guide, my Counsellor, my Strength, my Encourager, my Enabler - my Everything! I do not believe it is difficult to KNOW God - once there is a RELATIONSHIP with God. The only difficult part of knowing God is to put aside the "ME" with MY thoughts and ideas, MY interests and wants, MY rights to please self etc.

Actually, it's very easy to believe in God once you set aside the idea that he's some little old man up in the sky. Silliness that we shouldn't teach our kids because they sometimes get caught up in it, not realizing that God is more than that children's bible story image. Think of God as more like a vast conciousness that we're all attached to. All of us. We are more than just meat and bones with a brain perched on top, we have a Spirit within us. All we have to do to hook in is to ACCEPT the Spirit and then we're connected to the conciousness that we call God, Allah, Jehovah. Believing is easy once you've experienced the touch of God.

I think if God makes his existence too obvious then the whole concept of free will shall be undermined. I think God makes his existence not too obvious nor too obscure so that the role of free will is kept is such a balanced tension. That's the way I see it. I think it was J P Moreland who said something like that. And I kind of agree with him.

stevelvis, In Hebrews 11: 1-6, it is very clear that God wanted us to have faith in Him and faith to believe Him. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Now, you may ask for the very reason, why doesn't God just simply appear in front of everyone of us and let everyone believe from there? Yet, I must then ask you the basis of that belief. Is it out of fear that we believe? Is it out of awe? Any freewill? In simple, now that God has revealed Himself, wouldn't you feel forced or compelled to believe? It is quite obvious an answer here, wouldn't you agree? If God’s existence and ultimate control were undeniable, then people would obey out of fear and would struggle to conceal their resentment. Now if you are to look into God's perspective, rather than appearing to be a loving, heavenly Father who allows us to make mistakes, learn to repent, and return home to experience His love. I am sure God would be viewed as a threatening authority that no one would ever dare afford to become prodigals, who by returning to faith could discover freedom, individuality, and love. Self-awareness would be overwhelmed by the obviousness of God’s presence. All of us would be so overcomed by His power and glory that we couldn’t even begin to discover ourselves. Can the Ultimate Love ever thrive in such a world? I think the answer is an obvious NO, here. So, how do you think a lesson of ultimate love could be effectively taught and learned? This may be the reasons for faith, hope, and love to affirm logic but transcend it; why they must involve moral choice rather than mere logical deduction. This too may be why God employs randomness within the creative process, leaving profound evidence of God's involvement and presence but doing nothing to coerce obedience. Have a nice day.

If your mind and heart are as clean and as receiving of the Lord's Message as were Adam's and Eve's you could "see" Him the way they saw too. For the others who have strayed far from the path God sent His Son as the guide. If He reveals Himself to all and sundry, He will be no more the sought after. Would He be?