Seeing from God's perspective

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of your people Israel.”[1]

There are two ways by which we observe the world around us. We perceive either by the eyes of the natural man or we perceive through the eyes of the spiritual man illuminated by the Holy Spirit. When our spirit is united with God, we have the capability of seeing as God sees. However, from the time of our natural birth, we have learned to see with eyes of the natural man, the power of our natural eyes strengthening as we age. The strengthening of our natural eyes always occurs simultaneously to the exclusion of the spiritual eyes.

Simeon saw the world through the eyes of the spirit, enabling Him to see what almost everyone else missed the day Jesus came to the temple as a baby. The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would see the Messiah before he died. Seeing with eyes of the spirit caused Simeon to be in the temple the very moment the Messiah entered the building.

Almost everyone else in the temple that day saw a rather ordinary baby boy, a boy born to rather ordinary Jewish parents. Simeon, on the other hand, perceived with the eyes of the Spirit. Where everyone else saw a baby boy, Simeon saw the Messiah. In the midst of the day to day busyness of the temple, Simeon recognized what others missed. In the squirming bundle in his arms, He saw the divine destiny that would unite all nations to God. In the eyes of the baby, he recognized the Creator of the Universe. In the typical baby whimpers and cries, he heard the voice of the God that spoke the world into existence. Simeon did not seem to be troubled that the King of Kings appeared, not in great glory and fanfare, but in the lowest of human forms. He saw past the natural into the eternal destiny of the Child.

If we are to understand the work and ways of God, we like Simeon must see with the eyes of the spirit. It is impossible to comprehend the ways of God with the natural eyes and the natural intellect. The spiritual eyes enable us to perceive the supernatural work of God in the midst of what the natural man would define as ordinary. With our spiritual eyes we can discern the yeast of the Kingdom of God penetrating society long before the natural man will even be aware of its existence.

The natural man that perceives with natural eyes will look for a Messiah that appears in great glory, missing the power of the insignificant mustard seed placed in the soil. There is great danger in failing to see the work of God. When the natural man does not see the work of God, he attempts to create it on his own. History shows us that this work of the natural man, even though done in the name of God, always resists the true work of God.

We must, in every situation we face, continually watch for the hand of God with the eyes of the spirit. Instead of quickly jumping to conclusions based on the eyes of the natural man, we must rise to the higher view of God’s perspective as revealed in our place unity with Him in our spirit. Then we, like Simeon, are able to correctly discern the ways of God in the world today. And like Simeon, our response to God’s work will be a response of blessing and joy.
[1] Luke 2:25-32 NKJV

I'm back!!

After a month of not blogging, I am back again. Bev and I along with our 17 year old daughter Karisa spent several weeks in the Himalayan regions of India. We have several different projects ongoing in that part of the world. I was touched deeply by the heart of the Father as I was there. (It happens every time!)

We dedicated a facility that will provide a home for 32 girls. For the past year construction has been ongoing. The girls currently live in a cramped space just off the street. They will move to their new home later in December. As I watched them stream up the steps into what will be their new communal bedroom, the tears couldn't be stopped from my eyes. Their faces were so excited, smiles stretched almost ear to ear. We celebrated with music, the girls singing with gusto. We celebrated with food, great pots of rice, vegetables, and curry chicken were consumed. I watched a small girl dance spontaneously to the music.

In my own heart, I felt the heartbeat of the Father. My heart was overwhelmed that these girls would have a better home, that they have hope. And it was good! I wanted to hug, to hold each one of the girls and let them know how special they are. The heart of the Father toward them seized my heart, overwhelming me in waves of joy and love. And it was good!

God so cares about the "little people". To be part of His redemptive plan for these 32 girls was and is a privilege beyond compare.