I have often seen children appear perplexed and confused when told that God is everywhere and yet invisible, as if they did not understand how it could be. If He is everywhere, they ask, if He makes the day and the night, the snow in winter-time and the leaves in summer, if He watches us sleeping, and goes with us when we walk, if He is near enough to hear our lowest whisper, and even to look into our minds and see what we are thinking of, why cannot we see Him? I have more than once observed little children to sit a long time silent and thoughtful, after hearing of these things, as if they were trying to conceive how God could be so near at all times, and do so many wonders before their eyes continually, and yet they not see Him.

Perhaps it may help those who have been puzzled by this question, to think a moment about wind. You sometimes hear a roaring sound almost like thunder. Some strong hand seems to be shaking the very house to its foundations. If you look outside you see the branches of the trees bowing and sweeping, and swinging about, clouds of dust driven furiously along the streets and highways, the waters of the sea rolled into long foamy waves, and dashed up with great force upon the shores. If you go out of doors, it seems as if some strong hand laid hold of your garments, and was determined to pluck them off. If you go in one direction you are stoutly held back, and if in the opposite direction you are as stoutly pushed forward. Look where you will, you see that some great power is working, and you feel its force upon your own person; but you do not see it. Can you tell the size, shape, or color of this something which you feel, and whose effects you behold on all sides? No; you see nothing but its effects. You see what it does, but, though it is working before your eyes, you cannot see it. You know what it is, because you have seen its effects often before, and have been told that it is the wind which produces such effects, and you are not surprised when you see them.

So it is with God who lifted up the mountains, who waves and paints all the little leaves of the flower, who makes the sun rise and set, who keeps your heart beating night and day, and your breath flowing out and flowing in all the time. You see Him not, but you see what He is doing. Where you see the signs of Him, you can believe He is, though Himself you do not see. Remember what the Lord said to Thomas after the resurrection..."Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."