How Do You Perceive the Lord?

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How do you perceive the Lord?  Who do you know Him as?

Is it as a warrior?  Is He peaceful?  What about loving?

Usually, our perception of the Lord, however true (or untrue), is actually a reflection of our theological upbringing.  If we grow up understanding the Lord is wrathful against sin, that is how we will view Him.  (Etc., etc.)  Whatever perception we have of who the Lord is colors how we reach Scripture and interact with Him.

What happens when the Lord doesn’t fit into who you think He is?  What if He appears different than you have known Him?

The most recent episode of Doctor Who had just this picture of the Lord in it.  Doctor Who, for those of you unfamiliar with it, is a TV show about a many centuries-old alien, simply called “The Doctor” who travels through time and in space in his spaceship (seen above), usually with at least one human companion.  His latest companion is named Clara.  The Doctor has lived for so long because, whenever he is dying, he has the ability heal himself, but in the process, he takes on a new appearance.

Clara has just experienced seeing The Doctor regenerate and doesn’t know what to think now.  The Doctor she had known was young and vibrant, but this Doctor was much older and serious.  She just didn’t recognize him anymore, neither in appearance nor in action.  In fact, though she loved The Doctor, she was prepared to leave him, because he no longer fit who she thought he was.

In the end, when she is on the verge of leaving him, The Doctor simply tells her, “See me!”  She is finally able to look past the external to see The Doctor for who he is: different, but still the same.  He is no longer as she perceived him, but only who he really is.

Whenever we experience the Lord in a different way than we are used to, it can be incredibly unsettling. Our whole world can be shaken and we may not know what to think next.

The Lord asks us to do the same thing as the same thing The Doctor asked Clara to do: “See me!”

Throughout the Bible there are stories of people who thought that the Lord was a certain way, when in fact they were completely wrong.  When Jesus appeared, His own people rejected Him for what He said and because He was not how they perceived their Messiah to be.

The Lord desires for us to know Him, not out of however we’ve perceived Him in the past, but as He actually is.  This means being willing to lay down our views to gain something more of the Lord and to know Him more fully.  He wants for us to see him for who He is, not how we want Him to be!

Hear Jesus Christ say to you, “See me!  Come to Me and know Me as I am!”

If you are willing to do that, and as the Lord works in you, you will begin to experience the vastness of who He is!

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12 Responses

  1. Thomas says:

    Awesome point bro.

  2. I saw that in the show too!! Really good stuff!!

  3. Russell says:

    Good word, brother Marcus!

  4. R.C. says:

    What a reality of Christ! “See Me!” Lord, open the eyes of our heart so that we may see you. Amen.

    (We could write a book together about seeing Christ in Doctor Who!) 😉
    R.C. recently posted…Martha and Mary: The New LifeMy Profile

  5. Dad says:

    So very true! When you’ve had a “few” years of a distant cold and vengeful God thanks to a well meaning church and parents who followed that and were distant. Seeing a different God is refreshing….. I need to refocus. Thanks Marc.

    • Marc Hardy says:

      You’re welcome, Dad. This is just the way we are as people and who we have become as Christians. We fall into the trap of visualizing God as a picture of ourselves or whatever theology we hold to defines who we think God is. The problem with this is that it can usually obstruct something the Lord may be wanting to show us. We have to simply turn to the Lord and ask Him to remove any filters so that we can know and see Him as He is, not for who we want Him to be.
      Marc Hardy recently posted…How Do You Perceive the Lord?My Profile

  6. Michael King says:

    Glad you’re writing brother! This is edifying stuff! Reminds me of Chronicles of Narnia when Aslan tells Lucy that, as she gets older, Aslan will become larger to her. I can definitely say for sure that most of my past theological “certainties” have crumbled or are crumbling – yet Jesus gets bigger & bigger.

  7. Marc Hardy says:

    Thanks brother! That is a great moment (one of many) in the Chronicles of Narnia. I am continually experiencing the same thing. It is difficult, but it is glorious as well, letting the Lord have full reign.
    Marc Hardy recently posted…How Do You Perceive the Lord?My Profile

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