Seeing God in the Everyday

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" (John 3:3)

Have you ever wondered why some people can look at a sunset and see only colors and clouds, while others see the signature of God? The difference isn't in what they're looking at, but in how they see. Jesus told Nicodemus: "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus was a religious leader. The Bible calls him "The teacher of Israel." This man was thoroughly familiar with the Torah. He could quote Scripture all day long. But Jesus says to him, "You can't even see the kingdom of God unless you're born again." Knowledge wasn't his problem. Spiritual sight was his problem.

Helen Keller was once asked, "Isn't it terrible to be blind?" She wisely replied, "Better to be blind and see with your heart than to have two good eyes and see nothing." What an incredible statement! This woman who lived in physical darkness could see with the eyes of her heart.

You see, the pure in heart have eyes that truly see (Matthew 5:8). Paul refers to the "eyes of your understanding being enlightened" in Ephesians 1:18. They can look at the same world everybody else sees, but they perceive what others miss - God's handiwork, God's fingerprints, God's activity.

This spiritual vision isn't automatic. According to Matthew 5:3-11, it starts with being poor in spirit - that first rung on the ladder where we come to the end of ourselves and say, "God, I need you." Then we mourn over our sin, we become teachable, we hunger for righteousness, and we grow in mercy. As we progress up that ladder Jesus laid out in the Beatitudes, we develop a pure heart that can truly see.

My dad experienced this transformation. He gave his life to Christ in his thirties. About two weeks after his conversion, he said love just overwhelmed him. He was so excited about God! He would drive the same path he'd driven for 20 years, walk past the same tree he'd seen for years and years, but now he had this overwhelming love for the tree. He said, "I just wanted to go up and hug the tree!" He loved everything. Why? Because now he could see God. He could worship the God who created all that he saw. Praise the Lord!

This is what happens when you have a pure heart - the world doesn't change, but your vision does. You begin to see God everywhere - in nature, in history, in Scripture, and in the everyday circumstances of life.

I read a story about a woman who had very little. She would go out on her porch every day and pray vocal prayers about all the things going on in her life. This annoyed her neighbor, who was an atheist. This neighbor would often jeer at her, saying, "Don't you know there is no God? You're just talking to yourself!"

But she kept praying. One day, she was out there praying, "Oh God, I need some food. I don't have any money to buy food, but I'm hungry and only You can meet my needs."

The atheist thought he would trick the woman, so he went to the grocery store, bought a bunch of groceries, and left them on her porch. In the afternoon, she goes back out and sees the groceries. She immediately lifted her hands and said, "Praise the Lord! You met my need! I was hungry, and You're feeding me now!"

This atheist jumped out of the bushes laughing at her: "You are a foolish woman! I was the one who bought those groceries! There is no God!"

She didn't skip a beat. She lifted her hands and said, "Praise the Lord! You have fed me, and You got the devil to pay for it!"

That's a silly story, but notice she looked past the human actions to see the Divine intervention and provision.

What are you seeing in your world today? Are you seeing just human actions or natural occurrences, or are you seeing God at work? Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God - not just someday in heaven, but right now, in the everyday moments of life.

Reflection Question: What might God be doing around you that you're missing because the eyes of your heart are not enlightened?

Dear Lord, please open the eyes of my understanding today. Help me to see You in nature, in Your Word, and in the circumstances of my life. I want to recognize Your provision and Your Divine intervention in the everyday events of my life. I praise You in advance for what You will show me today! In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "Do You Want to See God?": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/9tp8ys8/6-do-you-want-to-see-god