“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
― Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Just beyond our earthly vision there exists the world of the invisible. There are things happening all around us. Things that are of a spiritual essence but no less real because we can’t see them.
“When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”
2 Kings 6:15-17, NLT
Elisha’s servant saw the physical presence of the enemy. It was a fearful sight to see and the servant was afraid. They were surrounded. There was no escape–no way out. All seemed lost.
Elisha’s concern for his servant is touching. He didn’t rebuke or harshly correct the young man. He simply prayed and then it was done. The servant would see what actually existed. You might say that he would really see for the first time.
The Bible is the best way to perceive the imperceptible. It frames and then guides us into what is really real. It is God’s of introducing us to what is really real. The Holy Spirit delights in revealing truth to our incredulous souls.
We have severe limitations as men and women. We have to be instructed in these things. We’re not equipped to perceive the supernatural. It is not a part of our lives. I find when God shows me what is really out there I get a bit freaked out. I need the firm hand of the Father in those times.
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Isaiah 6:5, ESV
Consider the prophet Isaiah when he came in contact with the “real” world. He was completely undone. I can’t imagine acting any differently. I probably would become unglued.
A thought on this subject for you to consider:
“It is not the objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really after, and that is also, I think, the miracle that we really get.”
Image by Bonnat, Leon Joseph Florentin (1833-1922) Musee Bonnat, Bayonne, France French, out of copyright
One of the most intriguing characters in the Bible is Job. Tempted and accused, ignored and maligned– he maintained a faith in God’s goodness when hell wanted to destroy him.
His goodness should not be questioned oe diminished.
“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”
Job 1:1
Job becomes an oblivious participant in a cosmic exchange. God and Satan lock horns over Job’s faithfulness. God is sure of his love, while the Adversary thinks Job will fold when repeatedly tempted. But keep in mind, Job hasn’t a clue of who or why. He has to deal with life that is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Job will soon become intimate with pain and suffering.
“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who God, and shuns evil.”
Job 1:8
Satan is like a pit bull. And God has pointed out the character of Job, and what an enticing “meal” he would make. It’s a bit like slathering bacon grease on him and turning him over to the nearest pack of wolves. Satan now pursues his prey.
Again, Job is completely unaware of this contest. No one has bothered to consult him directly about this. Job knows nothing about this ”wager.” And it’s hard to be kept in the dark. I contend that had Job known what was going on, this all would’ve been far easier. However, everything would be “unscripted” and Job would suffer in complete ignorance. And that is doubly hard.
“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Job 1:20-22
But there was no sin! Job will not travel down that road. Yet he loses everything– all of it. And things are going to get even worse for him. He will be visited by three “friends.” However, they won’t help him. They will only make things worse.
The life of Job, and the “total war” on his soul must be our consideration and our precedent to order our lives.
The pain of Job should become the blackboard where we practice our figures. In the New Testament book of James, (5:11) we are told to think about Job. And in our deliberations, to consider the compassion and mercy of God. Ironic, in some wild cosmic way, our trials of faith are significant.
We should realize that if you or I are going to come out clean in this, we will need to emulate the faith of Job. I think that this what James meant in 5:10-11. We understand that Jesus absorbed all our sin and pain, completely. When we see that, we can come through just about any nastiness. It won’t make the trials any easier, but it will frame the full goodness of God.
“Some Christians are called to endure a disproportionate amount of suffering. Such Christians are a spectacle of grace to the church, like flaming bushes unconsumed, and cause us to ask, like Moses: ‘Why is this bush not burned up?’
The strength and stability of these believers can be explained only by the miracle of God’s sustaining grace. The God who sustains Christians in unceasing pain is the same God — with the same grace — who sustains me in my smaller sufferings. We marvel at God’s persevering grace and grow in our confidence in Him as He governs our lives.”
— John Newton, 1725-1807, Author of “Amazing Grace”
“The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.”
Jesus looked at his followers and said, “You people who are poor are blessed, because the kingdom of God belongs to you”.
Luke 6:20, NCV
It is an astonishing thing, to have Jesus look at you.
His steady, focused gaze is transformational, He sees me, and in this huge mass of people Jesus has picked me! It’s like He takes His ‘spiritual highlighter’ and sets me apart from everyone else. Amazing grace!
But this really isn’t arrogance, or even wishful thinking. We’ve been selected to be the special ones, not so much in an elite way, but in a way that glorifies only Him. Scripture emphasizes this by stating ‘the weak are chosen’. As I stood in this teeming crowd, I was surrounded by some very attractive and muscular people. They preened and postured, but that wasn’t what He was looking for. When He saw me, He stopped, and then He picked me out of the crowd.
Those who have been ‘chosen’ are definitely not superhero material. We are the weak, and blind, and very foolish. There is ‘zero attractiveness’. In the classroom, we are the nerdiest of nerds. (We are nerdisimos.) In the spirit, we have a ‘less than zero’ rating. In a sense, we’re not even remotely ‘the right stuff’, we are so pathetic.
Every once in a while, we find someone that seems to have figured out how to put it together. Then often we go ahead and put our ‘mark’ on that person and then become loyal followers. But if we extend ourselves to hear the Spirit (who by the way, is very easily heard) we find that our choice is a Saul, and not a David. In other words, he is very close but is disqualified.
We are Christians because Jesus chose us. We come into His presence because He left the doors open for us to squeeze in. We enter in because Jesus has been ‘bled out’ for us. Everything was drained when He died. He stepped into our ‘nightmare’ to allow us to escape into the light. Without His presence, we would decay into a dark and perpetual night.
And now He stands directly in front of us. He looks (it seems He is always looking) and says something to us that is strange. ‘Those who are poor will become those who are very, very ‘blessed’. Quite strange and bizarre. Like the guy sitting on mass transit right next to you, who is talking to himself! He simply doesn’t mesh with what is real. He has lost touch with reality.
The kingdom is up for grabs! Anyone can snatch it and bring home something substantial. Poor people, those who are at the level ‘of very little account’ have been moved ahead in the line, right up to the front. Suddenly, those in the back become envious. This envy becomes jealousy and then rebellion. But it changes nothing.
The ‘poor in spirit’ have just inherited the Kingdom of God. It has become theirs and it won’t be something that can be overturned. The ‘ultimate’ has become fully available to the ‘least’. Those out there who are starving, will be those who get the most.
Broken Believers 