Through the Looking Glass

"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me?" -John 14:9

September 17, 2023

The amount of time we spend with a certain individual should cause us to understand and relate to them considerably. There should not be any barriers or obstructions that would keep us from identifying with and appreciating their unique characteristics and personality. Yet, why are there moments when our intimacy and fellowship with the Lord seems remote and hard to grasp? If we are at all honest with ourselves, there will be times when we are facing certain difficulties that He will seem inaccessible and uncaring, even harsh and sinister.

In Luke 19, we find Jesus speaking of three servants whom a nobleman sends out to invest some money that he has placed in their possessions. Two of theses individuals come back with a sizeable return and the nobleman generously promotes them with greater responsibilities within his kingdom. However, one servant concealed his master’s money away for fear of losing it and consequently receiving some sort of punishment: “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘I hid it and kept it safe. I was afraid of you because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant’” (Luke 19:20-21).

What caused two of the servants to react in a certain way, and another in completely the opposite direction? Basically, it was how each perceived their master. Even the nobleman was astonished at the third servant’s initial reaction: “‘by your own words I will judge you…Hard am I? If you knew so much about me and how tough I am, why didn’t you deposit the money in the bank so I could at least get some interest on it?’” (Luke 19:22). In essence the nobleman is saying, “You really don’t know me at all. In actuality, if you were familiar with me at all, with the way I think and act, or my ways, and the motive behind each purpose, then you would have known what actions I would have carried out in this situation.”

Our view of God will affect the way we respond to certain circumstances, other people, and even the Lord Himself. It will essentially have an effect on how we live our lives each day. When life just isn’t going the way we planned, we will see Him as an unkind an unsympathetic Lord who is keeping us from those things which we so desperately yearn for. God’s goodness will come into question. Nevertheless, Scripture will remind us in such instances that we are sorely mistaken: “If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?” (Matthew 7:9-11).

We must have a correct view of our heavenly Father if we are to live peaceably and joyously in this life and to be freed from the anxieties and concerns which trouble us frequently: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you” (1 Peter 5:7). It is important that we see Him as the One who wants our very best. He is working out everything for your good and has promised to never abandon you when times are tough. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

He is the only Person who can and will see you through each day, and who has loved you even before time began. When our perspective is right, and when we begin to remove the filth obscuring our perception of God, we will then see a complete and perfect image of who He truly is: “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully” (1 Corinthians 13:12).