I’ve heard it said nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist that there is no God.  I believe that God not only exists, but He is the Creator of heaven and earth and the Father of Jesus Who died on the cross for our sins.  I believe all of God’s Word is true and inspired by the Holy Spirit.  It’s hard for me to conceive there are those who cannot plainly see God as the Creator.  Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”  In Psalm 14, David struggled with the lack of faith he saw on earth and those who blatantly denied the existence of God.  These would eventually find out, “God is present in the company of the righteous” (Psalm 14:5).

Psalm 14, which is almost an exact duplicate of Psalm 53, tells of the athiest’s perspective (v. 1), God’s perspective (vv. 2-4), God’s presence with the righteous (vv. 5-6), and Israel’s hope for salvation (v. 7).  David opened the psalm stating those who did not believe in God were fools.  This word fool means “scoffer, mocker, and one with aggressive perversity.”  David describes them as not only foolish, but also corrupt, vile, void of doing good in society (v. 1), and those who never pray to God (v. 4).  While they are saying this from their heart (v. 1), David mourns as he pictures God looking down from heaven (v. 2) and seeing the sin and corruption of everyone (v. 3).  These unbelieving fools actually enjoy destroying the righteous, like sitting down and enjoying food they would eat (v. 4) and never praying while doing so.  It seems as though those who deny God and go against Him and His Word outnumber the righteous today.  It may appear the righteous are losing ground today and those with more liberal views towards God are prevailing, but that actually isn’t the case.

Psalm 14:5 reminds us, “God is present in the company of the righteous”.  He is on the side of those who believe and follow Him.  As Romans 8:38 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” He “dwells in their midst” (Exodus 25:8).  Those who follow and trust in the Lord need not fear those who are against them and the Lord.  The Lord is our refuge (Psalm 14:6)!  There have been those who disbelieved and caused chaos and harm to those who do believe since the time of David.  But God has not changed.  Human denial of God does not negate the fact that He exists.  The heavens declare the glory of the Lord (Psalm 19:1-2)!  While some may cower in fear of those who attempt to bully their position of unbelief, God presses forward and is in the company of the righteous.  Although God-deniers make new claims to support their unbelief, God’s presence should reassure believers to not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is the power of salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16).  It should be the goal of every Christian to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20) and pray for those that, “Are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18). 

Questions:

1.  What are some reasons people deny the existence of God?

2.  How would you defend your belief and faith in God if opposition arose?

3.  Who are you sharing the gospel with?

Prayer:

Lord, help me to trust in You and thank You for Your presence.  I clearly see You are the Creator and God of the universe.  Help those who are blinded by unbelief and hardened in their hearts to give their lives to Christ.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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stephenrharrison

Stephen and his wife Haley have called Arkansas home all of their lives. Stephen has served in several ministry roles over the last 25 years and as a lead pastor for the last 8 years. Stephen attended Williams Baptist College and earned a BA in Biblical Studies from Ouachita Baptist University, an MA, MDiv, and DMin in Christian Leadership and Pastoral Ministries from Liberty University. When not pastoring, Stephen enjoys running, cycling, reading, writing, camping, fishing, and spending time with his family.