87 - Recognizing God

If you met God, would you recognize Him? You might say, “Well, of course I would. He’s an old man with a long white beard, sitting on a throne with a brilliant light shining around Him. And there are angels who worship before Him day and night.” But that’s only the way people picture Him, it’s not the Person Himself. What if there were no beard or throne or light or angels, could you still recognize Him? What if He took on the form of a normal man, and you met Him one day standing on a street corner, would you know it was Him? If His voice were normal and there were no supernatural signs taking place around Him, what would you look for? What would tell you that there was something about this Person that was different from any other man you’d ever met?

I think I would see the difference in His eyes, and hear it in the tone of His voice. And if I had to pick one quality that would set Him apart from all other men, I believe it would be His love, a love that was instantly familiar because I have felt that love in various ways over my entire lifetime. I believe I would recognize the heart of the One who rescued me on several occasions and was near to me in some of my darkest hours. I believe I would recognize in His voice the same gentle confidence I heard when a still, small voice spoke to my spirit and comforted me, guided me, or encouraged me when I most needed it. What I’m saying is this: If I met Him on the street in the form of a man, I don’t believe I would be meeting a stranger. I believe I would recognize a friend. How about you? Do you think you would recognize Him if all the glorious, outward signs of His divinity were hidden? Because the Bible says God is near to every human, as close as our next breath. And that’s true no matter when or where a person is born. Listen, “[God] made from one [man] every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined [their] appointed times and boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist (are)…” (Ac 17:26, 27).

So, I actually believe no one would be meeting a stranger. Every person everywhere, would have some memory of that love and that voice. The difference would be in the way they responded. Some would be glad to see Him. Others would be afraid or angry. With this understanding in mind, let’s listen to the explanation Jesus gave His disciples as to why they would be persecuted.