The Invisible, Invincible God

“You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire.”

Deuteronomy 4:13

Humanity lives in a world that is saturated with a shallow faith, a faith that is often based on the extent of what one can physically behold. “Seeing is believing” is the unspoken mantra of many. It compels people to trust in the tangible. To rely on commodities for hope and assurance, commodities like money, possessions, and property. Consequently, an invisible God becomes hard for such people to accept or promote because the Lord is not prone to manifest Himself in visually perceivable ways. Yes, God revealed Himself as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to the Israelites after they departed Egypt (Exodus 13:22). Yes, God revealed a glimpse of His awesome splendor and glory to Moses on the top of Mount Sinai (Exodus 33:23). And yes, God revealed Himself through the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, the great (and only) God-man. But such moments in history are the exception, not the rule. While God has always been, and always will be, present, He has not frequently made Himself physically perceptible.

Moses’ message to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 4 speaks to this contemplation and addresses a rampant dilemma: the dilemma of superficial belief. God’s mighty agent wisely cautioned his brethren to not practice a hollow faith. To not fall prey to a casual, lax reverence. The Hebrew people had recently been rescued from the throes of a kingdom that was wrought with false worship, a worship that gave excessive credence to nature. The ancient Egyptians adored what they could see and made images and symbols to crystallize their wayward spiritual philosophies. Moses implored the Israelites in Deuteronomy 4 to not follow suit. They were called by God to know Him and follow Him. They were set apart for a hugely important purpose: to reveal God’s message and mercy to the world.

So often humanity resorts to paying homage to what can be carved or crafted. But God’s immaculate majesty cannot be reduced or replicated to a single image. What could anyone fabricate that could accurately convey the holiness of God? What could anyone fashion that could capture the immeasurable strength of God? It is not the manmade statues or structures that move God; it is the willingness of people to yield their lives to Him in obedience, an obedience that does not require a physical demonstration of God’s existence for it to be rendered each and every day.   

The great challenge before mankind is to resist trying to interpret God through or confine Him to our limited understanding and cognitive view. After all, the reality is God was not made to live in a world of our design; we were made to live in a world He designed. We do well to get the proper perspective and let it humbly inspire, as well as deepen our faith. Perhaps the worldly mantra is backwards. Seeing is not believing. But believing (in God) is seeing (the world as God intended it to be). And not only is believing seeing, believing is freeing. Therefore, let us lead with our heart, not our eyes. Let us forever trust in the invisible, invincible God.