Words fascinate me endlessly. Any given word can have such a variety of meanings. If we’re having a conversation and I say, “I see what you’re saying,” how can I “see” what you’re saying? Obviously, I tell you that I see (or understand) what you’re saying in my mind’s eye.
The Bible also uses the word “see” in different ways. On Mount Sinai, God told Moses, “You cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live” (Exodus 33:20).
Then we come to Psalm 17 and read David’s prayer: “And I – in righteousness will I see your face; when I awake, I will be content to see your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).
God is spirit, Jesus told us (John 4:24), and cannot be seen with the physical eye. But He can be seen with the eyes of faith. This is what David is writing about here, and it is the testimony of the Old and New Testament saints that God is visible within the heart, mind, and soul of the believer.
Oh, how we long to see God! This is the desire of the ages and the reason to follow Him who alone can quench the thirst of the parched soul and satisfy the desires of the hungry heart. Oh, that we persecuted God with the same intensity that He persecuted us!
The apostle Paul was very aware of our spiritual vision. In praying for the church at Ephesus, he asked that “the eyes of your heart be enlightened that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for those of us who believe.” ” (Ephesians 1:18-19).
This passage provides the key that unlocks the door to new perspectives of seeing God. How do we see God? What does it take to see the face of the Almighty? Here are three things you can do:
1. Ask God to reveal Himself to you.
Paul’s prayer is a wonderful way to intercede for your Christian brothers and sisters in your local assembly and in the universal Church. But have you ever prayed Paul’s prayer for yourself? This is a beautiful way to start your day, every time you seek the Lord in prayer, make this request a habit. “Oh Lord, I want to see you today. Please open the eyes of my heart so that he can experience your presence in increasing measure.”
2. Spend a lot of quality time in the Word.
To know God is to see God. Paul asked God to open our eyes so that we could to know things of God. Where do we get that knowledge from? The only reliable source of information about the living Word, Jesus Christ, is the written Word, the Holy Scriptures. Fill your mind with great thoughts about the Father, the Son and the Spirit by reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on his Word and you will see God on every page of the Bible.
3. Respond to the glorious truths of God by worshiping the Trinity.
To worship God is to see God, as long as we are worshiping him in spirit and in truth. A Bible-saturated mind cannot help prostrating itself before the throne of grace, praising, thanking, and adoring our sovereign Creator, the almighty and loving King of glory.
This is what it takes to see God. May David’s prayer come true for us both in this life and in the life to come. “As for me, I will see your face in righteousness; when I wake up, I will be satisfied with your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).