The Invisible
Rarely have I doubted the existence of a Supreme Being. To me, the reality of God is not a difficult concept to believe. When I am at rest and listen to the pounding of ocean waves or ponder the majestic Rocky Mountain Range, God's presence is absorbed into my empty places. When I become more inquisitive and consider the consciousness and power of humanity to choose and create, God's fingerprint rises to the surface of my mind. Then, when I hear of great evils done to the innocent, screams from within demand justice, awakening the divine morality hidden deep in the forgotten places of my heart.
Pondering the hand of God on creation and morality helps me see the outline of the invisible God. The totality of Scripture teaches us that the Almighty is both invisible and visible to the human senses. He is invisible in that He is Spirit and transcends the best of human understanding and vocabulary. He is visible in the sense of revelation-how He has revealed Himself to humankind, His own creation.
Many are trying to figure out how God can become relevant to their lives, when instead they should be wondering if they are relevant to God. The Father defines us; we do not define Him. After all, it is simple logic to recognize that the created exists for the purposes of the Creator, not the other way around.
The fundamental pursuit of theology-the study of God-is based upon what the Almighty revealed about Himself to us. We conclude that whatever God has uncovered must be important because it tells us not only who He is, but also the reasons for our existence. The quest for understanding what God has revealed is what makes the invisible God visible to our minds and our senses.
HOW HAS GOD REVEALED HIMSELF?
God has revealed Himself in creation.
Romans 1:18-20 explains it this way: "But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 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. So they have no excuse for not
knowing God."
In many ways we toil with the realm of creation. We climb mountains, cross bodies of waters, plow the hard ground and take shelter from excessive elements which come with the cold of winter and the heat of summer. But even in our toil, we marvel at creation. We ponder its beauty and majesty-and are amazed at the divine statements of mountain peaks, crashing waves on the shore, prairies filled with natural flowers, wooded lakes and starry skies.
We are also amazed by animal life. We stop our cars to stare at a deer in the woods. Some invest a great amount of time and money to venture into the wilderness to hunt, study and photograph the amazing scenes of God's creatures in the far corners of the planet. We are curious, and somehow feel that part of our identity can be found in the wilderness.
The advancement of humanity also tells a story of God, and our questions and discoveries are ongoing. Our ability to solve many human problems has evolved into what we call disciplines of study. We now know the lessons of human behavior as psychology, study of the stars as astronomy and have the disciplines of art, engineering, mathematics, aerospace, business, education, biology, philosophy, technology, linguistics, medicine, and the list goes on. We are no longer satisfied with learning about the earth; we desire to know more about what is hidden in the galaxies.
By learning through these fields of study, we see the different ways He has revealed himself through creation and begin to see more of God. In a holistic sense, all the human disciplines pursue the knowledge of the Almighty. Even though every student would not confess such a thing, it does not make it any less true. Human behavior reveals the truth written in the verses above. God is revealing Himself to His creation within creation.
God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ.
The word Gospel means "Good News"-and the Father made Himself known through His Son, who is God in the flesh.
This is explained in the first few verses in the New Testament book of Hebrews: "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven" (Hebrews 1:1-3).
There are four life-changing truths in these verses which describe God's relationship to His Son, and Jesus' relationship to us.
First, the Almighty has a long track record for revealing Himself to human life. One such example is through the ancient prophets, and many of their words and actions are recorded in your Bible.
Second, the Father has revealed himself most clearly through Jesus Christ-the exact representation of God in character, mission and power!
Third, the Jesus we are learning to love, trust and serve is the very One holding all of creation together.
Fourth, Jesus is the gate keeper into the mercy and forgiveness of God. In short, anything we need to know about God we will see in Jesus.
God continues to reveal Himself as you worship Him.
So far we have discussed that the invisible God of the universe becomes visible as we follow the clues found in creation and we embrace the wonders of the Almighty in Jesus Christ. Appreciating creation is a good step in the process of knowing God-and believing in the person and life of Jesus Christ is critical. Yet, the knowledge of God does not become life-changing until you become an authentic worshiper. Since God is personally known through a dynamic relationship with the living Christ, only a supernaturally transformed soul can experience this fellowship. As we spend time in His presence, God is further revealed.
God must become your ultimate reality.
Your reality is not the experiences of your past, present or future-and is not your hopes, dreams, worries or fears. Your reality is God, because He transcends all we can experience on earth.
Whether you know it or not, you are in desperate need of Him since your eternity is in His hands. Your soul hungers to know God and to participate in a dynamic life-shaping fellowship with Him. Jesus explains in one simple sentence how this is accomplished: "For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
Learn to see the invisible God involved in the visible world. See His shadow in the wonders of creation and study the character and mission of God through Jesus Christ. Worship Him in Spirit and truth. Do not be satisfied with information received from others. Check it out yourself. Meditate on Romans 1:18-20 and Hebrews 1:1-3. Memorize and strive to understand the meaning of John 4:24.
POINTS TO PONDER
- What are some ways in which God has revealed Himself to mankind?
- What do you think it means to be an "authentic worshipper"? How do we get to this point?
- How have you seen or witnessed the fingerprint of God?
- How does worshipping God help you to understand Him?
- In Hebrews 1:1-3 Scripture tells us God spoke to us through prophets, then through His Son Jesus Christ. How does God speak to you now?
