Demanding Evidence: Finding God’s Presence in a Broken World

When life unravels, our first instinct is often to put God on trial. We either blame him for tragedies or look at the chaos of the world and demand concrete evidence of his presence. If God is here, and if he is good, why is this happening?

When going door-to-door to visit with people and direct a conversation towards what God has done for all people, a common objection is questioning God’s presence in a world were bad things happen. When tragedies happen to people we love, the questions of doubt are real when God doesn’t make sense.

Jesus addresses this tension in Luke 13:1-9. He is confronted with reports of senseless violence and accidental tragedy. His response strips away our tendency to equate suffering with personal sin: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Jesus shifts the focus from the cause of the tragedy to the condition of the heart. To illustrate this important point further by telling the story of a barren fig tree. 

“A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ⁷So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’  “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Human nature tends to operate under a spiritual sense of entitlement. We believe our goodness is our own, or that our suffering is a divine punishment. However, the reality is more profound: Every good thing in this world is a result of God’s presence.

Because God remains present in our world, people are capable of kindness, patience, and civic virtue. We often see non-believers who are good neighbors that feed the poor and promote peace. While the world uses their goodness as an argument against the need for a Savior, the Bible offers a sobering correction.

If we take credit for our good works, we fall into a trap. We assume that our “figs” are good enough to earn a seat at the banquet table in heaven. But Jesus teaches us that he is the one digging, fertilizing, and patiently sustaining the tree. Without his intervention, the tree is merely “using up the soil.”

There is a “bitter fruit” that comes from self-righteousness. Even a lifelong pursuit of tolerance and harmony can lead through the wide gate [Matthew 7:13] if it is rooted in the belief that our works are sufficient.

The ultimate evidence of God’s goodness isn’t found in a life free of trouble, but in the restraint of evil. There may come a time when his presence is fully withdrawn, and only then will humanity realize he was the source of every act of kindness we took for granted. In that absence, there would be no good neighbors or good citizens—only the stark reality of a world without grace.

Life is not ultimately about this world, and God goes to great lengths to remind us of that. He loved his creation so much that he provided the ultimate rescue plan by sending his Son to live the perfect life we could not, substituting himself on the cross, and conquering death and sin.

We do not provide the fruit God desires through our own effort. Instead, faith alone receives the full credit of what Christ has already done. Our fruit is simply the evidence of Christ living in us. We don’t demand evidence of God’s presence by looking at our circumstances. Instead, we find it by looking at the cross.