This article was inspired by “Stand Forever” Episode 29, “Is There A God Who Is Our Father?” by Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, an emeritus General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, produced by Scripture Central. We encourage you to watch the full episode.

Watch: “Stand Forever” Ep. 29 | Is There A God Who Is Our Father? | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

Before anyone can ask whether Jesus is the Christ, or whether there are prophets today, there is a quieter question underneath them all: Is anyone there? And if there is, does He know me?

In his “Stand Forever” series, Elder Corbridge lists four “primary questions” that the rest of faith rests on. The first, and in his view the most important question of all time, is whether there is a God who is our Father. He doesn’t hedge on the answer. “There is a God who is your father,” he says.

This article looks at the reasons he offers, adds scriptures you can read for yourself, and ends with a simple way to seek your own answer.

Two Ways of Seeing

Elder Corbridge is careful to say that reason and evidence are not the whole story. He teaches that we learn truth in several ways—by experience, by reason, by study, and by revelation—and that we need all of them. But he places revelation from God at the top: “Nothing can equal in power, conviction, or constancy the witness of the Holy Ghost.”

So why spend an episode on evidence at all? Because, he suggests, many people have only ever heard the arguments against God. They’ve never slowed down long enough to look at what is in front of them. In this episode he stays mostly in the world of reason, inviting us simply to look around.

“All Things Bear Record”

A theme runs all through the episode: the world itself is a witness. In the book of Moses, the Lord says that “all things are created and made to bear record of me,” in the heavens, on the earth, and beneath it (Moses 6:63).

The Bible says the same in many places. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1). The Apostle Paul wrote that God’s “invisible things” are “clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20).

Elder Corbridge also points to a revelation given to Joseph Smith that describes the earth, sun, moon, and stars moving in their courses, and then says that anyone “who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47). That is a lovely thought. Every sunrise you have ever watched counts.

A Conversation in the Book of Mormon

One of the episode’s main stories comes from the Book of Mormon. A man named Korihor went from town to town telling people that you can’t know anything you can’t see, so belief in God was foolish. Elder Corbridge notices something about that argument: saying “you can’t know there is a God” quietly turns into saying “I know there isn’t one”—and that second claim can’t be seen either.

The prophet Alma answered Korihor gently but firmly. He shared his own testimony, then pointed to the world around them: “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).

Alma didn’t need a laboratory. He needed people to open their eyes.

The Wonder of Being Alive

Much of the episode is a guided tour of how finely life is put together. Elder Corbridge talks about the quiet work your body does without being asked: blood that knows when and where to clot, a heart that keeps beating while you sleep, cells carrying detailed instructions for building who you are. He moves out to the earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field, the sun’s steady light, and the delicate balance of the physical laws that let stars and planets form at all.

His point isn’t that science and faith are enemies. It’s the opposite: the more we learn about the universe, the more reasons we have to marvel. He sees our age of discovery as part of how God is revealing Himself today.

He uses a homey example. If you walked into your house and smelled fresh bread, you wouldn’t decide the loaf appeared out of nothing. You’d know someone had been in the kitchen. How much more, he asks, does a living, ordered universe point to a Maker?

The Book of Mormon prophet Lehi reasoned the same way. He taught that if there were no God, “we are not, neither the earth” (2 Nephi 2:13). Our very existence is the first piece of evidence.

Why It Matters Who He Is

Elder Corbridge makes an honest observation. Learning how far the earth is from the sun asks nothing of us. Coming to know there is a God asks everything, because it invites us to change and to live for something larger than ourselves. That can make the question feel heavy. It can also make it hopeful.

Latter-day Saints believe God is not a distant force but a Father. The Church’s First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have taught that each person “is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”).

Elder Corbridge ends the episode on exactly this note. There is no long chain of ancestors between you and heaven, he says: “You are first generation son or daughter of God.” You can’t fully understand who you are until you know whose you are.

How You Can Know for Yourself

Looking at the stars or a newborn’s hand can point you toward God. But the Church teaches that the surest knowledge comes when God Himself answers you.

The Bible offers a simple promise: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). The Book of Mormon adds that if we “ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).

Here’s a gentle suggestion. This week, step outside at night or at sunrise. Look for a few quiet minutes. Then pray in your own words, something like: “Father in Heaven, if Thou art there, and if I am Thy child, please help me to know.” You don’t need special words. Pay attention to what follows—peace, a sense of being known, a desire to be better. Those are often the ways He answers.

An Invitation

You don’t have to explore this question alone. Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be glad to talk with you about Heavenly Father and His plan for you—in person or online, at no cost and with no pressure. You can reach out at ComeUntoChrist, or request a free copy of the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, delivered to your door. Bring your questions. He welcomes them.

For Readers Who Want to Go Deeper

Primary scriptures for this theme include Psalm 19; Romans 1:18–20; James 1:5–6; 2 Nephi 2:11–16; Alma 30; Moroni 10:3–5; Doctrine and Covenants 88:41–47; and Moses 6:63.

Watch the rest of Elder Corbridge’s Stand Forever series on Scripture Central, especially Episode 28, which introduces the four primary questions, and Episode 30 (“The Truth—Is Jesus Christ the Son of God?”), which comes next. You can also read our related article, Is Jesus Christ the Son of God?

A tool we recommend: Scripture Notes is a Latter-day Saint scripture study site and app for searching the scriptures, keeping notes by verse, and finding patterns faster—built to help you get more revelation in less time. We support their work; if you’re going deeper on these passages, it’s worth a look.

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Video credit: “Stand Forever” Episode 29, “Is There A God Who Is Our Father?” presented by Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, emeritus General Authority Seventy, and produced by Scripture Central. Watch it at youtube.com/watch?v=z32F-d_tsgg. Short quotations are used for commentary; all rights belong to their owners.

The “Stand Forever” video belongs to Scripture Central. Witness the Signs is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Scripture Central.