All my life I’ve tried to picture God. Is He way high up in the sky? Or floating around us like an invisible vapor, or still hanging on a cross? Some may say He’s a tree, or butterfly, or star.
Why is it so hard for us to envision God? And how do we make Him feel closer and more real as we approach Him in worship and prayer?
As humans, many of us struggle with these concepts. God loves that we desire to draw near to Him in faith, especially with our honest questions.
Our open and trusting hearts are at the core of our personal relationship with God. Beginning with the foundation of faith (choosing to put our trust in the Lord and what He says), we discover that an accurate concept of God has to be based on the truth of His Word – all that He has revealed to us in the Bible.
Throughout history, countless artists have attempted to portray images of deity. How would it even be possible to reduce a Spirit Being of infinite dimensions to a canvas or statue? The truth about God is not contrived by our sin-stained human minds, nor dependent on fluctuating feelings. And any attempts we make to depict Him visually are distracting, inaccurate, and fail miserably at portraying an infinite Holy Almighty GOD.
Another reason why we struggle to see and feel the LORD is that the limitations of our five senses and our three dimensional earthbound bodies aren’t capable of seeing God, or even picturing Him in all His glory.
We can’t reduce an Infinite God, Almighty God to something our senses can detect/perceive.
How would you describe a glorious sunset, or a star studded night sky to someone born blind?
I love this description: “He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever!” (1 Timothy 6:16)
In spite of the immensity of God and His glory contrasted to our glaring limitations, the GOOD NEWS is that He has made a way for us to know Him, and to catch a partial glimpse of Him. There are 3 things that have been very helpful to me in my faith-walk with the Lord.
1. God Reveals WHO He is through His Creation and through His Son
Through CREATION:
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” (Romans 1:20)
Every time we see a glorious glowing sunset, or a dazzling rainbow, or savor the fragrance of a flower or pleasure of good food, or waken to early morning songbirds, or hold a newborn baby…give Him glory! Offer heartfelt thanks to Him for these precious “pinholes to heaven,” glimpses of His glory that touch our physical senses. In that beautiful moment, our hearts draw close to Him as we praise our loving amazing Creator!
Through his Son, JESUS CHRIST:
“No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” (John 1:18)
“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God.” (Hebrews 1:3)
“He humbled Himself and came to us in human form to show us God, and ultimately to atone for our sins by His insurmountable suffering on the cross. And by rising from the dead in fulfillment of many prophecies, He confirmed His deity.” (Philippians 2:5-11)
The best way to know God is to know Jesus.
During His time on earth, Jesus taught us how to pray. There is no magic formula for what to say, but come to Him with an open honest heart. No matter how we feel, or if we can visualize Him or not. In this well-known example prayer, Jesus shows us two types of interaction with God.
2. God Provides Two Ways to Personally Interact with Him:
Worship/ Thanksgiving, and Requests/Needs
Throughout scripture, we see that God desires our heartfelt worship and our outpouring of our needs. This is a prayer Jesus taught us. We always start with worship–acknowledging WHO He is and His holiness, and then asking for what we need.
“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
“Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one.”
(Matthew 6:5-13).
1. Our WORSHIP
God is spirit. When we reach out to Him from the depths of our heart it is an honest and spiritual interaction.
“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) [See the entire account in John 4]
God’s holiness is the focal point of worship (both from us and from the angelic beings)
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)
2. Our NEEDS
Because Jesus is our Great High Priest, we can come to Him anytime.
“Since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)
One thing that can help when we pray is to focus on His attributes/names one at a time:
When I need care and rest: He is my Good Shepherd (John 10)
When I need guidance: He is my Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)
When I need a loving Father: He is Abba Father – a very intimate relationship (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6)
When I need comfort: He is the God of Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
When I need calming: He is my Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
When I need hope: He is my Risen Savior (Revelation 1:17-18)
3. God HAS Blessed Us with Some Visible Revelations of Himself
More good news! Here are a few of my favorite passages.
When Jesus revealed Himself to John years after His death and resurrection:
“The Son of Man was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.” (Revelation 1:13-18)
Heaven’s Throne: From Revelation Chapters 4-5
Worship Holy God
“I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.
“From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
“In the center and around the throne were living beings… Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.
“For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Worship the LAMB (Jesus)
“Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered. And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy! For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
“Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
“And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
“And they fell down and worshiped the Lamb.”
It’s About WHO God Is and His Relationship with Us
We WILL see Him face to face, Scripture assures believers. But until then, it’s good to remember that if we’re preoccupied with how to envision Him, or what to feel, we miss HIM!
What if you were born blind and had never seen your loving spouse or parent? Would you focus on finding out what they look like, or would you enjoy them for WHO they are, and their love for you, and your life together?
God has a unique and special relationship with each of us, and everyone’s journey with Him is different. We walk by faith. The more we seek Him from the heart, and draw near to Him, and hear His Word, the more He will reveal special glimpses of His glory to us in ways we would never imagine…or be able to explain to others.
Truly grateful for a faithful God Who wants us to commune with Him. Forever.
”Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” ~Jesus
💜
(John 20:29)
