1 John 4:12 No
one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his
love is made complete in us. (NIV)
One of my favorite hymns was written by a Scottish
minister, Walter Chalmers Smith. The song is called “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.”
It’s one of a handful of traditional hymns that I can recite perfectly so whenever
we sing it in church, I close my eyes and meditate on the beautiful lyrics.
To me, the words describe the absolute majesty of God and
how His glorious shekinah veils Him from our eyes. God is invisible not because
He wants to hide from us, but because His glory is so bright that it does not register
on our vision’s wavelength. God’s presence is always with us because we exist
in His reality, not our own. He sees us perfectly, but we can only get a glimpse
of God in how we love one another, according to the Apostle John. This means
that if we truly want to see God in our lives, we need to become vessels of His
love and grace.
Sadly, we live in a world which is broken by disunity and
dimmed by fear. We stumble in the dark because of our selfish and antagonistic
ways. Pride overshadows our society and greed blots out our generosity. We are
in danger of going down a blind alley created out of arrogance and vanity,
bigotry and hatred. In other words, we are potentially doomed to become lost
because our sins will eventually engulf us, casting us on a path to perdition
and destruction.
The only way to overcome this shadowing of our world is
through the light of God’s love. There is no other substantive way or effective
presence to remedy our self-inflicted plight other than our love for one
another and the abundant sharing of God’s grace. As Christians, we have the
capacity to change the entire world into a better planet for people everywhere,
but only if we are willing to let others see God actively, graciously, and lovingly
at work in our hearts and lives. For only then will the glory (Shekinah) of the
Lord be seen; only then will the immortal, invisible God appear in our world.
Point to ponder
Where can I let God’s love through me lighten my
community today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You once told Your followers that
they were the light of the world. Help us in this generation to become those
same vessels of light and grace that our planet desperately needs. May God’s loving
presence become evident in all that we say and do. In Your Holy Name, we humbly
pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in
Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sundays at
11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊
Today’s image is one of
John’s psalm drawings based on Psalm 24 v 1. If you would like to view a larger
version, please click this link: Psalm24.
If you would like to watch
and listen to a wonderful version of the hymn “Immortal, Invisible,” please
click this link: HYMN
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