Do you ever have nights that your heart is so heavy, try as you might, rest eludes you? I had one of those nights recently, and as He often does, Abba got me up out of bed to talk to Him about it. I am finding that as my love for Him grows deeper, my love and concern for others grows along with it.
Sometimes, people we care about, can have blind spots about their need for God. How do I know that? Because sadly, I’ve had them, too. I think we probably all do at some point. This can come in many forms. Maybe we fail to give Abba the proper place of authority in our lives, not seeing Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Maybe we fail to treat others in a way we ourselves hope to be treated, not seeing the importance Messiah placed on treating our neighbor as ourselves. Maybe we question if He could really love us, not seeing that we are uniquely formed, loved, and desired by our Creator. Whatever the case may be, most of us have experienced some form of not “seeing” God for who He really is, and responding accordingly. One thing I know for sure, once we HAVE seen Him for ourselves, we’re eager for everyone we care about to see Him too!
As I was praying, Abba reminded me of two things. The first was a memory of sitting with my daughter looking at a hidden picture book. Smaller pictures are hidden in plain sight within a larger picture. Some are usually almost immediately noticeable, but others require patience and persistence to find. What we’re searching for is right there, but we can’t always immediately “see” it within the big picture. This is something I noticed in my own life concerning scripture. There were things I had seen in the Bible my whole life. They were always there, but I didn’t really “see” them until I committed to not only reading, but doing what I read. I’ve come to believe that obedience precedes understanding. Until we obey what we can see, some things might remain hidden. Abba can open our eyes to things that have been right in front of us from the beginning, allowing us to see the truth and importance of them.
The second thing Abba reminded me of was looking at an ultrasound picture. I can look at an ultrasound screen, and it just looks like a mess. There are occasionally things I can make out, but I certainly don’t immediately “see” or understand what I’m looking at the way a trained sonographer would. The picture is there, my eyes can see it, but my mind does not understand it. The ability to see and understand comes through study, training, and practice. This has been my experience of seeing Abba through scripture. I could read the words, but it has required daily, in-depth study, prayer, and the help of the Holy Spirit to really understand what I’m seeing in context. Sometimes this comes through studying out a particular word, or it might come from spending enough time in study that verses begin to fit together like pieces of a puzzle helping me see the overall picture. Like recognizing a tiny face or hand for the very first time on a pregnancy sonogram, it’s an amazing moment when we finally “see” something for the first time in scripture.
It is a comfort to me to know that we are all works in progress. Seeing truth in scripture does not always come as quickly as we’d like. For some things, we have to be wholehearted, patient, and persistent in seeking, while others will require diligent study and training. In both cases, The Father is there gently guiding and teaching, but His timing is not ours to determine. We must be patient and trust that things will be “seen” in His time, for ourselves and for others.
I’m so thankful that when I feel like He isn’t being seen, He patiently encourages me. In Jeremiah 29:13 He promises “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Matthew 13:16 is my continual prayer for myself and others- Abba, please give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a wholehearted desire to obey!