Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
John 14:21
CAN WE SEE GOD?
Many people today are very learned, and are disillusioned because they find that in all their searching, they do not find God. One such person argued that there is no God because if He exists, He shouldn’t be so hard to find.
Yet, Moses saw God face to face; God was his friend:
The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
(Exodus 33:11)
As for me, I, too, love to gaze into God’s face. He is the lover of my soul.
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.
(2 Corinthians 3:18)
My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.
How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
How handsome you are, my lover!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
(Song of Songs 1:13-16)
In fact, a warm fuzzy feeling is now filling my heart as I write this posting. God is with me, filling me with joy at His approval.
And do you know that if I don’t see God, when I come to Him, I would be distraught:
All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
"Have you seen the one my heart loves?"
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
(Song of Songs 3:1-4)
You see, seeing God is a matter of the HEART. Purity of heart is what is required. We fail to find God when we try to use our mind, or our own wisdom. Being more learned and going to Bible School or to the University, or getting several degrees do not guarantee that we can have intimacy with God. In fact, this is said about the mind of man:
For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
(1 Corinthians 1:19-21)
Instead, God reveals Himself to those who love Him.
However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him" --
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
(1 Corinthians 2:9-10)
IDOLATRY BLINDS US SO THAT WE CANNOT SEE GOD
So, just how precious is God to you? God has to be very, very precious to you for you to be able to see Him. In fact, you will have to pursue Him. David pursued God and was as thirsty for God as a deer for water:
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:1-2
When you get that close in intimacy with Him, you will definitely see Him. So, by verse 7 of Psalm 42, David realizes that when he goes that deep, God’s presence washes all over him:
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me--
a prayer to the God of my life.
PS 42:7-9
You see, you must want Him above all else. That is the secret. As long as there is anything you want or love more than God, that thing will block God from your sight.
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
(Psalm 24:3-4)
That thing that you love more than God, and will not give up, will be your idol. Abraham had to even lay Isaac on the altar to demonstrate to God that he loves God more than Isaac:
Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
(Genesis 22:2)
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
(Genesis 22:9-12)
Is God a cruel God? Is He a jealous God?
Cruel, no. Jealous, yes.
God is not being cruel; He tested Abraham because Abraham cannot afford to love God’s gift to him, Isaac, more than he loves God. If he does, it becomes idolatry. Idolatry blinds a person’s eyes. Abraham, on the other hand, must have the right perspective so that he can continue to trust God to bring His purposes to pass in his life. Isaac is a creature whom God has given to Abraham as a son, to be the delight of his heart. But if Isaac becomes his idol, his god, his consummate desire; Abraham would surely miss the purposes of God for him and his descendants. He would spend all his life and everything he has taking care of this son. Instead Abraham has to live a life of faith, to fulfill his destiny as the father of faith. He has to live out his life believing that the God who gives, can also provide everything. He is Jehovah Jireh. So Abraham declares God’s name as Jehovah Jireh:
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. As it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided.
(Genesis 22:14)
If Abraham’s life is directed by his love for his idol; not by his complete trust in God, he would fail to realize that God has a purpose for giving him Isaac in the first place. So, yes, God is a jealous God. But He is jealous for our good. He has a destiny for our lives, and He does not want us to miss that. He also knows that the devil does not want us to come into the fullness of what He has for us, so that we will be robbed blind by the enemy of our soul before we realize it, if we live in disobedience to Him and His commands.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10)
God’s love is a love that protects. God’s Word is His love letter given to us to protect us from the devil. His Word is a lamp unto our feet, to direct us in His way.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
(Psalm 119:105)
WE CANNOT SAY WE LOVE GOD IF WE DO NOT OBEY HIM
We cannot live in disobedience to God’s word and say that we love Him. God equates obedience to love:
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
John 14:21
To see God, start checking every area of your life. Is there disobedience? Is there idolatry—i.e. anything you put before God, e.g. your mission, your desires, your family, your friends, etc.?
If we have allowed so many things to come between Him and us, it would take time to clear the baggage. But God is faithful, and His Spirit is there to help us always. Before we know it, we begin to sense His presence.
For this is what the high and lofty One says--
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
"I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit…
Isaiah 57:15
Monday, July 20, 2009
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