"No One has Ever Seen God"

"No one has ever seen God."

This phrase appears twice in John's writings: a simple statement of fact.

There's an obvious reality that God is spirit, and we cannot see Him. We who believe in God do so by faith and, like it says in Hebrews 11, live "as seeing Him who is invisible."

Towards the beginning of his gospel, however, John points out that there is an exception to the whole not seeing God thing. He writes, "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known" (Jn 1:18).

Here's the exception: although no one has seen the Father, the Son came and revealed Him. To see Jesus is to see God. Those who look on Jesus see "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4). For 33 years, God walked the earth, and people saw His face. This is a beautiful and deep truth, but if you believe what the Bible says about Jesus being God, then at some level, it's still a reasonable/understandable concept.

Later in his life, though, John writes a couple of letters, and in his first letter, he brings up the subject of seeing God again. "No one has ever seen God;" he says, but "if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us" (1 Jn 4:12).

Wait. What?

The first time that we read "no one has ever seen God," we are reminded that Jesus is an exception to that.

The second time that we read "no one has ever seen God," we are told that love among believers is an exception to that.

Don't miss the weight and profoundness of this!

(In fact, if you have any questions about what John is implying here, go back and read the larger contexts in which these two texts appear. The contexts totally support the intentional parallel of Christ bringing the fullness and knowledge of God to us, our receiving it, and then our being enabled to pass it along.)

In my church, we've been studying about Heaven during our morning services (highly recommend the series!). So as I've been thinking about this phrase from John's writings, it's mingled with thoughts about Heaven, and here's one of my main takeaways:

In Heaven, we will see the face of God. But today, others can see the face of God in the mutual love of believers. Others will recognize the face of God from seeing His love being given and received among His people. So, when I love my brothers and sisters like God does, I, like Jesus, am letting people see God, and I can do so now in a way that will not be mine to do (at least in the same way) in eternity.

God, please let it be that I and my brothers and sisters would so "keep ourselves in the love of God," that we live it out incessantly in ways that make You known/visible in our relationships with each other today. We believe You to be the Most Beautiful and Winsome of Beings, and we want You to be known and loved. We are amazed to think that anyone could catch a glimpse of Your face in us; it's the greatest honor we could ever have. (Like, the more I think about it, the more mind-blowing it is.) Let our gratitude and gladness find full expression today. In others words, let me and my brothers and sisters love each other so thoroughly today that someone gets to see Your face in ours. That would be more amazing than we could put into words. And give us faith to believe that You actually intend to reveal Yourself to others through us!

Oasis

From the time I was 13 years old, Psalm 119 has been an oasis for my soul. I remember the first time I read it: riding in our family van on a weekend roadtrip, my large-print child's Bible spread out on my lap. 

I couldn't believe how much the person who was writing the psalm loved the words of God. I didn't know you could love the words of God like that. But the psalmist showed me that you could. And through the work of the Spirit, the psalmist's love for God and His Word ignited mine, and I began to love the Bible and devote myself to it. I memorized Psalm 119 a few months later.

In the years since then, Psalm 119 has never been far from my heart. It's one of my most listened-to tracks in my playlist. I've turned to it when I'm full of delight in God and looking for words to express my gladness and worship. I've spread it open before God when I'm mute with weariness or grief and needed words for my mourning. I've dragged my soul to its pages kicking and screaming in rebellion, dry and cracked with thirst, shell-shocked from the fight with sin, and sullen with indifference. And I have found life in its words. 

Tonight was no different. My soul was dull, spent from a full day of people and half a dozen to-dos still tugging at me. But when I walked in the door of my house, I felt the inexorable pull of Psalm 119. Life. Water. Repentance. Hope. Communion. Petition. Longing. The words of life beckoned. 

God invited me to come drink.

Notebook paper, pencil, open Bible.

Oasis.

And slowly my soul revived.

Sandra McCracken has an album on the Psalms, and her Psalm 119 song is titled "Flourishing." My good friend Sallie shared the song with me about three weeks ago, and I've listened to it nearly every day since then. I hope you'll listen to it...and that you'll go spread your roots into oasis of Psalm 119 and be filled with its life-giving water. 

P.S. More to come on the topic of "flourishing."

God is Sleeping

Matthew 8 gives us a window into the cadence of Jesus' life and ministry, unfolding His words and actions right after after He came down from giving the Sermon on the Mount. He touched and healed a leper. He came into a town called Capernaum and helped a centurion and the centurion's servant. He visited Peter's house and healed Peter's mother-in-law. He cast out demons. He answered challenging questions and pressed home the truth and urgency of the Kingdom...And He was tired. 

Towards the end of the chapter, we read: 
"And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep" (Matt. 8:23-24).

He was asleep. Jesus - God - was sleeping.

It's startling.

I mean, this is the Unwearied God of Isaiah, right? 

Remember these words: "He does not faint or grow weary"? 

Or Psalm 121 saying that the Keeper of Israel doesn't slumber or sleep? 

What is this?

This is Incarnation.

        When God becomes Man.

        A Man and yet God.

        Both God and Man.

And see this Man?

He is sleeping…

        sleeping…

               sleeping...in a boat…

                        a little Galilean fishing boat:

                        probably not much more than 14 feet long and 5 or 6 feet wide,

               a crowded little boat

         full of working men and equipment…

He's sleeping…

         sleeping through a storm,

         sleeping under adverse conditions.

How is He sleeping at a time like this???

He must be exhausted...bone-weary...spent…

Reader, pause and worship: your God is sleeping in a boat.

And why? 

Why?

Why is God sleeping the sleep of exhaustion?

Why? Why must it be like this?

He shouldn’t be here!

He shouldn’t have to feel tiredness!

       He’s God!

       He’s the Unwearied.

       He’s Eternally Strong.

Why this frailty?

Why this limitation?

Why?

Why is God sleeping in a boat?

It's because of me, of us.

Because of me and my fellow men.

Because it was according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. 

                        Because it was fitting for Jesus to be made like His brothers in every way.

          Because “since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself 

                                   partook of the same things” (Heb. 2).

And so Jesus is here.

He is sleeping in a boat.

He is tasting weariness…

- just as He will taste death -

...because of us.

He is bearing our weakness and infirmities, 

so that we can experience His strength and grace perfected in our weakness.

"In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us..." 1 John 4

What's Your Identity?

I read and listened to Hebrews several times this week. One of the times going through it, I made a list of how believers are described throughout the book. Take a look:

-        those who are to inherit salvation

-        those who are sanctified ("...for both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have one Source..." - see how closely He identifies with us!)

-        brothers ("...He is not ashamed to call them 'brothers'.")

-        the offspring of Abraham (Love the context of this one: "for surely it is not angels that He helps; He helps the offspring of Abraham." Human beings. He especially cares for human beings.)

-        you who share in a heavenly calling

-        His house

-        those who listened/we who have believed

-        all who obey Him

-        those who through faith and patience inherit the promises

-        those who draw near to God through Him ("He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." The faithful love of Jesus for us is this strong and this good!)

-        those who are called

-        those who are eagerly waiting for Him 

-        those who are being sanctified ("...by a single sacrifice, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." Doesn't that put courage back into your heart?!)

-        My righteous one

-        those who have faith and preserve their souls

-        the firstborn who are enrolled in Heaven

I was blown away. Incredible. I don't really think of myself in all these terms, but these are God-given statements about our identity and hope. If you are a child of God, this is already who you are. This is the character of everyone who belongs to God (whether they are maturely reflecting it at the moment or not). Brothers and sisters, by the grace of God, choose to believe this and to step into this - your true identity - today in the face of your own thoughts and feelings, which may be communicating very opposite things to you. Take God at His word and open your heart to Him. He is the unchangeable God, and it is impossible for Him to lie (Heb.6). He means all of these things that He says about us: this is who we are.

And, reader, if the burdens and darkness of life are heavy now and you doubt about His willingness and ability to be and do these things in or for you personally, hurting friend, please read through Hebrews yourself. Look for what it says about the nature and ways of God. You will find a gentle, faithful God who has provided a perfect, sympathetic High Priest and who sits on a throne of grace offering mercy and help. I had to make a list of that too. And together "let us draw near" to this God.

"Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, but the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Heb.13:20)

Peace

Peace

Peace is what happens when the burden of life is borne by someone greater than us, so that, although we are small, we are sure of being cared for. Like being under a truly good, benevolent government. "Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end." Peace happens when everything shifts into perspective in relation to You, remembering that You are in control and that You are full of love and grace, very strong, and for us. The heaviness may not go away, but it doesn't crush in quite the same way because we realize that You take complete responsibility for the world and for our lives and that we are precious to you. We can rest because everything is being taken care of. This is peace for tortured minds and hurting hearts. We don't have to figure it out. We don't have to manufacture the strength to make it through all by ourselves. We don't have to perform to get Your attention. You are already present, already gracious, already strong, already good, already in control, and already at work to bring about Your wise purposes. In the end, You have promised that the whole world will experience peace. Until then, let the lives of Your children be filled with peace and act as signposts pointing to You, the Prince of Peace. Teach us to enter into Your rest and peace, to take full advantage of it. You are the God of peace: i.e., You know who You are and what exactly it is that You are doing, and You are pleased with that. You invite us to share in Your peace by faith, putting our trust in You and Your constant, caring control. Help us accept Your invitation, aka, give us peace. 

(This post is #6 of 6 personal meditations on God's names and character. Here are the links to Great Physician, Inscrutable, Immanuel, Steadfast and Grace.)

Grace

Grace

Grace. It's how You are. It's Your posture toward people. The way You treat them. By nature, You are inclined to be kind to undeserving people: that is grace. Grace is the way You relate to us. We are going to chronically fall short, and You know that and are inclined in the deepest part of Your being to be generous towards us. Beyond that, You always remember that we are dust, and You know that life falls heavy on us, and You offer help to us. As our God, You are constantly calling us to impossible things and putting us into situations that are too complex, too painful, too overwhelming, and too big for us (You Yourself are too big for us.). But every time You call us to the impossible, You offer us grace: the supernatural enabling to follow through on every good endeavor that You have purposed for us. It is supernatural help though it often comes in the most ordinary of ways. And at the end of the day, it is going to be You Yourself who comes to us and is Enough for us at every turn: that is grace. And it is how You are toward Your own. 

(This post is #5 of 6 personal meditations on God's names and character. Here are the links to Great Physician, Inscrutable, Immanuel, and Steadfast.)

Steadfast in Love

Steadfast in Love

Steadfast in Your love. Covenant faithfulness. Sworn loyalty. Not subject to circumstance or whim. Unrelenting care. We human beings are so fickle. We don't have a natural metric for steadfastness, and it's hard for us to register the implications of Your being the God of steadfast love: the sheer goodness and safety and security of it. But this is who You are and You treat Your people with steadfast love. We will never experience cruelty, neglect, manipulation, injustice, coldness, stereotyping, impatience, betrayal, lies, or unkindness at Your hands. "All the paths of I Am are steadfast love and faithfulness." Thank You. As I experience Your love, cause me to know and to trust it. Let me in turn be steadied and secured by it. You are for me: now and forever. Nothing can change that: it is a steadfast, unshakable, unchangeable reality. It is as sure as Your own existence and power. 

(This post is #4 of 6 personal meditations on God's names and character. Here are the links to Great Physician, Inscrutable, and Immanuel.)

Immanuel

Immanuel

Immanuel. Here. The Present God, the God who has always chosen to live in the midst of His people. Our Immanuel. All that it means to have You here with us. All that it means to have You here with me. O God - my God - thank You. Your omnipresence is one of my favorite things about You. Despite my own finiteness and my sinful bids for independence that often draw me away from savoring Your presence and being present with You in every moment of my daily life, I can truly say that I'm delighted by Your ubiquitousness that allows us to have constant interaction with You. Beyond Your companionship (which is the jewel of life), Your strength, authority, wealth, gladness, wisdom, love, and grace are such treasures that You have generously given me access to at every point. All that You are, You are here and now with me. This is amazing and praise-inducing. You are Immanuel, the God who incarnates, the One who draws near. I love You, and here and now I come to rest under the shadow of Your wings. 

(This is #3 of 6 personal meditations on God's names and character. Here are the links to Great Physician and Inscrutable.)