Living Proof: The Everyday Evidence of God

A few years ago, I met a man who had every reason to be bitter. His business partner, a lifelong friend, had betrayed him. The partner started his own company, taking clients, stealing money, and leaving behind a trail of damaged trust. It wasn’t just a professional loss; it was personal devastation. His reputation had been tarnished, and his heart had been broken.

For months, he replayed the betrayal in his mind. Between the waves of hurt, he rehearsed what he’d say if they ever met again.

Then one day, that moment came.But instead of unleashing years of anger, he did something shocking. He said, “I forgive you.” The words surprised even him as they came out of his mouth. What surprised him more was that he actually meant them. Somewhere along the way, he had worked through the pain and realized forgiveness was what was needed. When he walked away, he said he felt free for the first time in years.

I remember thinking, That doesn’t make sense. Human nature longs for revenge. Forgiveness doesn’t come naturally. In fact, revenge stories are some of the most popular narratives in Hollywood.

So often we look for evidence of God in big things like miracles, prophecies, or other grand displays. But sometimes the greatest evidence is found in what goes against our nature: the ability to forgive when it makes no sense, to find peace in chaos, and to hope when the world says we shouldn’t.

Think about it for a moment. We’re wired for self-protection. We hold grudges, we lash out, we demand fairness. Don’t believe me? Ask my nine and ten-year-old sons! Yet somehow, in the middle of that brokenness, God gives us the ability to respond differently. That’s not normal human psychology. That’s evidence of a God who created us to live differently.

Peace is another one of those divine impossibilities. We live in a world filled with anxiety, and yet believers throughout history have faced life’s hardest moments with an unexplainable calm.

Jesus called it “peace that surpasses understanding” (Philippians 4:7). It’s the kind of peace that doesn’t depend on outcomes because it comes from something deeper—a relationship.

I was pastoring in Houston in 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit. I remember the feeling of helplessness as the waters rose and we were trapped in our house. We should have left, but didn’t.

When the rain finally stopped after four days and more than forty inches of water, I began calling members from both of my churches. I couldn’t leave my house to help them, so I tried to offer courage through a phone call.

I’ll never forget those conversations. Some members were more concerned about their neighbors and eager to get off the phone so they could go help. Others were understandably focused on their own loss and fear. In both cases, people had suffered real damage, flooded homes, ruined cars, destroyed belongings, yet their focus was completely different.

How is it possible, in a moment of personal loss, to think of others first? No one would blame a person who had just suffered thousands of dollars in damage for focusing on themselves. But being able to say, “God’s got this,” isn’t denial; it’s a divine blessing. It’s evidence that something supernatural is happening inside you.

The Christian worldview is radically different from the “try harder” mentality of self-help culture. We don’t have to muscle our way through life by sheer willpower. We’re invited to abide in Christ and draw our strength from Him.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches… apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). When we rely on His strength, we begin to do what shouldn’t be possible: forgiving freely, standing calmly in chaos, and loving deeply.

These aren’t just moral victories. They’re living, breathing proofs that God is real, active, and transforming hearts today.

The evidence of God isn’t limited to ancient stories or distant miracles. It’s alive every time His people live differently. When we forgive the unforgivable, love the unlovable, and trust in the middle of uncertainty, we demonstrate that God is real.

The world doesn’t need more arguments about God’s existence. It needs more people who live as evidence of His presence.