Human beings all over the world, to whichever religion they belong, to whichever faith they subscribe, believe in the existence of God. But no one is sure. At one time, when the Soviet Union, with its proclaimed state credo of Godlessness, was on the ascendant a large number of people in the Communist world were outwardly atheistic, but deep down they were not sure whether God existed or not. Very few indeed have cared to get down to the task of really giving their life to exploring and finding out whether there is God or there is not.
God, say those who are in the know, is "that which is." Whatever you see around you, including, of course, yourself is God. God, as a separate entity, therefore, does not exist anywhere, neither in the high skies nor at the ocean depths. He is this whole existence, moving and non-moving, living and non-living. because it is now being said that even rocks, which are apparently lifeless, have life in them in a rudimentary form.
God has no characteristics by which he can be known or defined. He is therefore indefinable and indescribable. This does not however mean that you cannot know him altogether. It only suggests that you cannot know him through your intellect. You can know him as you know the taste of sugar, as you know a mild breeze touching your skin, or as a distant musical note wafting across the wind waves. Just as you know love only by being in love or by loving, similarly you can know God only by being God. This may be termed as knowledge by being, rather than knowledge through collection of information about it.
Not all the tomes that you may read on the subject of love, can ever make you actually love. But when love 'happens' you know it all right. You may not be able to define it but you will know it so well, that no one can argue you out of it, nor make you doubt it. Love, like God, is also beyond all characteristics, since what we call love with its attendant jealousy, attachment, possessiveness, mutual dependence, is not love at all. Love and God are very close to each other in more ways than one, or perhaps they are one!
Since no human language is useful in describing God, the sufis say that he is the 'unspeakable', 'unutterable'. They put it rather dramatically when they state that the one who has perchance seen the 'king emperor' gets his tongue cut off by the ruler, so that he will never be able to describe the king's visage.
St. Augustine, an early Christian mystic, was one of those blessed ones who had a vision of God presented to his inner eye. But when asked by some one, "What is God? he fell dumb. He fumbled for words and said, "when you don't put that question to me I know very well, but when you do pelt it at me, I am at a loss for words, I would betray the truth if I use language, which naturally is totally inadequate for the purpose... So what I suggest is go and find out for yourself. Don't wait for an answer, to set out on the journey as I did to find out.
God is so much on the move, so effervescent, so fleeting, here now, gone the next moment, that one has to be extremely alert to catch scent of him, to keep pace with him. A thinking man is absorbed in his own thinking, which is about himself, his past and his future. Such a person can never 'see', 'know' or be' God. In truth, you as a separate 'I' can never know him, but drop your separation, you are that.
But that is a long, long journey, however near he is to you. Remember that
all characteristics that you attribute to him are based upon what you have seen
and experienced in this world. But your imagination on this basis is not adequate
to know him, since he is unimaginable. When you however, negate everything that
you have known in this world, and the knower in you drops because he is no longer
being sustained by your knowledge, then there is God, the unknown!