Just because we don’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Have you ever looked up on a cloudy night and wondered where the stars were? Do you see any stars when you look up in the daytime?
Likewise, do you question whether or not God is truly present? When Moses asked God to show his glory, God told him that no man could see Him and live. (Exodus 33:18, 20) And yet for many it is difficult, almost impossible, to believe without some tangible proof of existence. We want to touch or see in order to believe.
Many are skeptical when it comes to God. After all, there are shady people who profess to be Christian, who preach and teach and proclaim the word of God but do not have God in their hearts. Many turn from Christianity because they are looking at fallen man rather than infallible God.
God wants us to look for Him – to actively search for Him. He wants us to find Him and experience His unfailing, unconditional love.
In the movie, Prince Caspian, Lucy looks across the river and sees Aslan. The others – Peter, Edmund, Susan and the Dwarf – have already turned to go in the other direction.
“It’s Aslan – over there. Don’t you see? He’s right there.” Everyone turns to look, but Aslan is gone.
“Do you see him now,” the Dwarf asks, unconvinced that Lucy had seen anything at all.
Lucy stood firm. “He wants us to follow him.” She looks first to Peter, then Susan, then Edmund.
Peter looks at Lucy. “Why wouldn’t I have seen him?”
“Maybe you weren’t looking,” Lucy said.
Can you relate? Had Lucy really seen Aslan on the other side? Have you ever seen or heard something that no one else did?
Finding God is truly a matter of looking. Yet, even as Christians we can lose sight of Him. We get off balance by following what the world offers. Getting off balance doesn’t happen overnight. The Casting Crown’s song, “Slow Fade,” says it well: It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away. It’s a slow fade when black and white are turned to gray. It starts out with a glance at a married man or woman, a peek at something that no eye should see, a desire for something that’s out of our reach or our budget. Then, one day we find ourselves in an affair or into pornography or searching for ways to fudge our expense account so that we can pay for our overspent credit cards.
Remember the song we sang in Sunday school as children, Be careful, little eyes, what you see. Words in the song remind us that a Father is looking with love from above. Our looking to Him is the only way to get us back in balance.
So, how do we see God?
- Pray
- Read the Bible
- Let Jesus be Lord of our life.
“But if … you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV).
At the end of Prince Caspian we see the Dwarf kneeling before Aslan. Aslan’s awesome power has wiped out the enemy and brought victory for his people. Lucy asks the Dwarf, “Do you see him now?”
Our God is awesome. He says in Joshua 1:5, As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. He wants a relationship with us, and He alone has the power to wipe out the enemy and bring victory to us, His people.
He’s right in front of us, if only we are looking.