More Than a Picture

The other day, my eleven year old said, “You know what two things I wish were real? That people didn’t die and we had superpowers.” It kind of blew me away. Don’t all of us, even adults, wish these to be true on some level? I certainly do.

When our loved ones leave this earth, we are left with memories and pictures. These images remind us of our time with them, often providing comfort. But in their absence, we look at the photograph and long for something deeper: to hear their voice and to engage with their heart. In other words, we long to be in their presence.

As believers, we see images of God that in of themselves are good and reflect His glory. These images could be a sunrise, sunset, or newborn baby. They can remind us of who God is and the product of His power, but is not the same of being IN the presence of God and communing with His Spirit. In Exodus 33:14, the writer states, “And he said, “my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” To be in the presence of God, we HAVE to rest. We have to stop doing, and come to a place of being. It’s in those moments of quiet, of waiting, of meditating on scripture that we are in the very presence of Jesus.

Lord, we long to know Your will for our lives. We long to be in Your presence and we understand that through the mighty Name of Jesus we contain a power much greater than ourselves. We desire to surrender and put the spotlight on YOU, not us.

We can walk through life noticing images of God, but He longs for much more than being a picture to us! He wants to be a relationship where we hear, feel and communicate with Him. In James 4:8, he tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.” In this exchange, we come clean with the Holy of Holies. He already knows our hearts, but it allows us to cooperate with His Spirit and determine His Will.

And you know what’s so wild about all this? We DO have access to His (super) power. Do you live as if you house the resurrection power of Jesus? I mean, do you LIVE like you house the resurrection power of Jesus? This is a game changer. “The Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you.” Romans 8:11