Have you not deeply desired to see God, to know Him intimately and truly? Beloved, to see Jesus is to behold God. Let us not consider it heresy: we can surely see God! But first we must renounce every perception of the Almighty other than what we have found proven true in Christ.
Therefore study the life, the teachings, and deeds of Jesus Christ, and you will remove the veil of mystery surrounding the nature of God.
Jesus said,
“He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
What truth could be more profound? Each time we read of what Jesus did, we are actually beholding the nature of God. Every time we listen to what Jesus taught, we are hearing the voice of the living God.
Jesus is the image of the invisible Father (Hebrews. 1:2-3).
“In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians. 2:9).
Jesus is God’s form. He mirrored on earth those things He saw His Father doing in Heaven; He echoed the words the Father whispered to Him from eternity.
Do you truly desire to see God?
Christ’s words are windows through which the pure in heart behold the Almighty.
Certainly others can edify our souls greatly, but no prophet, apostle, or teacher excels the revelation of God in Christ. Ponder Christ, and you contemplate the nature of God. Eat His words and you assimilate into your spirit the substance of the Almighty.
“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Hebrews. 1:1-2).
God spoke to the prophets “in many portions and in many ways.” Indeed, all their words inspire, correct, and guide our souls; they are all profitable for reproof and correction, that we may be fully instructed. But “in these last days [God] has spoken to us in His Son.”
Prophets will point the way; Christ is the way. Teachers will expound the truth; Jesus is the truth. Apostles will proclaim the life; Jesus is the life. Yes, all speak the word, but the Son of God is the Word.
The teachings of Jesus Christ are not to be blended into the Scriptures as though He were one of many equally important voices used by God. He is, in truth, the living revelation of God Himself, the sole expression of His invisible glory. When Christ speaks, we are listening to God unfiltered, unbiased, unveiled.
So, I ask again, would you see God? Would you pursue the glory of the Lord? Study Jesus. Ponder His words and deeds. For to steadfastly gaze upon Jesus is to behold “the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Father, I want to see Your glory and to dwell in Your presence. Answer Your Son’s prayer in John 17:24 through me, that I might be with Christ where He is to behold Your glory. Make Your Word come alive to me, and let it transform my soul. Renew my mind that I might live in perpetual union with You.
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up. . .” 2 Chronicles 15:7
Hopelessness. Its flag has been flying at full mast for some time, whipped to and fro by life’s merciless winds. Many believe that God has ceased to care, left the building, stepped off his throne. Has our Sovereign Lord self-isolated?
In the aftermath of World War II, Viktor Frankl, a trained physician, was tasked with seeing and speaking to concentration camp prisoners, being one himself, along with his wife and parents. His observations and conversations revealed an astute awareness of hope within the deepest reaches of his patients.
Against all odds, those with a future hope of experiencing freedom or seeing their children were capable of surviving the ghastly conditions of the Auschwitz prison and tasted liberty at the hands of rescuers when the war ceased.
It was hope that fueled their survival, empowering them to rise above despairing circumstances and embrace deliverance. No matter how faint the hope, its power superseded all that seemed grim.
So, in answer to my question? No. God’s not self-quarantining. He’s in the room holding you and lamenting your agonizing situation. He is more present than he’s ever been. He stokes hope in you amidst your hopelessness.
As believers in Christ, our hope may be diminished by the world’s state, but it’s never gone. For our source of all hope and power is found in the Father, Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. When faith appears to fail, they never do. Keep your eyes on them, do not give up, and share the hope you know with those around you.
Heavenly Father, you are my greatest hope. It is because of you, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that resides within me, that I can face any daunting situation happening in the world or in my life. Thank you. Give me the courage to share my hope with others each day. It is in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Rejoice often in the eternal and abiding hope that finds its source in your relationship with God.
