Are the circumstances of my daily life really a prophetic explanation of the truths my heart is not yet innocent and child-like enough to receive as direct revelation from the Father?
John 5:20 says that "the Father loves the son and shows him ALL that He is doing." We are his sons. And true sons SEE! We do it naturally - as an overflow of our relationship with the Father. Part of what makes a son more than a slave is that the Father shares with us what He is doing. He wants to be known by His children and longs to reveal the deep parts of His heart to us.
But sometimes, vision is slow in coming and hazy to say the least. My sin, woundedness, disappointments, cynicism, suspicion of others, cultural biases, worldly paradigms, and a host of other issues numb my heart to the intimate words God wants me to hear. It's what Paul talked about, I believe, when He spoke of seeing in a mirror dimly. I sometimes see only enough to know that I am a son, but quite often I find that the veil of my flesh prevents me from seeing as clearly as I ought. Jesus said that the pure in heart are blessed - for they will SEE God (Matt 5:8). So is that the problem? What is this lack of purity that dims vision and how do I get rid of it? Is it always a struggle with sin? I am convinced that quite often the lack of purity in our hearts comes from an absence of innocence in our approach to God as a Daddy. The filters of our life experiences jade us to Kingdom reality, causing us to be blind and deaf to the deep things of God.
So what happens in these moments where my spiritual eyes are dim and I cannot perceive what the Father is doing? Does the Father just stop speaking? Does He become offended by my issues and in a sort of silent pout, withdraw His heart and close His mouth as punishment for my condition? I do not believe this is how the Father loves His children. I have found that when my ears fail to hear and my eyes will not see, that my loving Father has another way of getting my attention - one that seems to take significantly longer and is often more painful, but that I am certain not to miss. It is called the circumstances of my daily life. I wonder how often God is using the seemingly random details of my day - both good and bad - to explain truths to my heart that He longed to share with me in a more intimate way, but that I for whatever reason was unable to perceive in communion with Him? He is that committed to whispering deep secrets into my heart that reveal who He REALLY is, that even when I outright reject Him, He will not remain silent. Instead, He finds an avenue into my heart through my daily life and pursues me through what often appears to be a story that is quietly and slowly unfolding in the background of my busyness.
Do I feel He is angry with Me when this happens? No, I don't believe so. But I sense a longing in His heart this morning to speak plainly with His son in a way that does not need to be explained through the parable of my life? Where are those whose hearts are pure - not spotless or void of sin altogether - but rather guileless, who fear God above the rejection of men, unafraid to take risks, whose identities are rooted in the love of their Father rather than their ministries or careers, who live from their hearts and passions, who do not replace faith with human wisdom and rationale, those who aren't afraid of making messes, who will not quit, whose finances do not dictate their decisions, the ones who love and release others instead of attempting to maintain control for their own purposes. These are the ones who see God. The ones with whom God can reveal all that He is doing.
I want to be one. I want to hear the Father speak words no human ear has ever heard. To see what no eye has ever witnessed. I want to be trusted with the secrets of my Father, to have his mysteries change me into His image. I want to be close to His heart and to satisfy the longing in Him for intimacy with a son. I realize there is nothing I can to do to deserve this privilege. It is not mine to earn. But because of Jesus, it is my free gift from the Father. And I want to experience it now.
John 5:20 says that "the Father loves the son and shows him ALL that He is doing." We are his sons. And true sons SEE! We do it naturally - as an overflow of our relationship with the Father. Part of what makes a son more than a slave is that the Father shares with us what He is doing. He wants to be known by His children and longs to reveal the deep parts of His heart to us.
But sometimes, vision is slow in coming and hazy to say the least. My sin, woundedness, disappointments, cynicism, suspicion of others, cultural biases, worldly paradigms, and a host of other issues numb my heart to the intimate words God wants me to hear. It's what Paul talked about, I believe, when He spoke of seeing in a mirror dimly. I sometimes see only enough to know that I am a son, but quite often I find that the veil of my flesh prevents me from seeing as clearly as I ought. Jesus said that the pure in heart are blessed - for they will SEE God (Matt 5:8). So is that the problem? What is this lack of purity that dims vision and how do I get rid of it? Is it always a struggle with sin? I am convinced that quite often the lack of purity in our hearts comes from an absence of innocence in our approach to God as a Daddy. The filters of our life experiences jade us to Kingdom reality, causing us to be blind and deaf to the deep things of God.
So what happens in these moments where my spiritual eyes are dim and I cannot perceive what the Father is doing? Does the Father just stop speaking? Does He become offended by my issues and in a sort of silent pout, withdraw His heart and close His mouth as punishment for my condition? I do not believe this is how the Father loves His children. I have found that when my ears fail to hear and my eyes will not see, that my loving Father has another way of getting my attention - one that seems to take significantly longer and is often more painful, but that I am certain not to miss. It is called the circumstances of my daily life. I wonder how often God is using the seemingly random details of my day - both good and bad - to explain truths to my heart that He longed to share with me in a more intimate way, but that I for whatever reason was unable to perceive in communion with Him? He is that committed to whispering deep secrets into my heart that reveal who He REALLY is, that even when I outright reject Him, He will not remain silent. Instead, He finds an avenue into my heart through my daily life and pursues me through what often appears to be a story that is quietly and slowly unfolding in the background of my busyness.
Do I feel He is angry with Me when this happens? No, I don't believe so. But I sense a longing in His heart this morning to speak plainly with His son in a way that does not need to be explained through the parable of my life? Where are those whose hearts are pure - not spotless or void of sin altogether - but rather guileless, who fear God above the rejection of men, unafraid to take risks, whose identities are rooted in the love of their Father rather than their ministries or careers, who live from their hearts and passions, who do not replace faith with human wisdom and rationale, those who aren't afraid of making messes, who will not quit, whose finances do not dictate their decisions, the ones who love and release others instead of attempting to maintain control for their own purposes. These are the ones who see God. The ones with whom God can reveal all that He is doing.
I want to be one. I want to hear the Father speak words no human ear has ever heard. To see what no eye has ever witnessed. I want to be trusted with the secrets of my Father, to have his mysteries change me into His image. I want to be close to His heart and to satisfy the longing in Him for intimacy with a son. I realize there is nothing I can to do to deserve this privilege. It is not mine to earn. But because of Jesus, it is my free gift from the Father. And I want to experience it now.
