The Revealer Who Reveals The Revealer

A Kindergarten teacher was watching her students as they drew pictures in class. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. When she approached a little girl who was working carefully on her drawing, she asked what she was creating. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But nobody knows what God looks like." Without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing, the girl responded, "They will in a minute!"

Now there's confidence for you. I'd like to see that picture. How about you? Children hold a special place in God's eyes. Jesus was a defender of children. When adults tried to stop kids from coming to Jesus, He quite clearly said, "Permit the children to come to Me, and stop hindering them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Luke 18:16 

Maybe the girl was seeing something we adults cannot or will not see clearly. To see God, one must approach God not as an expert but as a learner. The goal isn't just to know about God, but to know God. We adults like to shape everything, including God, into our own image. We want to define God instead of letting God define Himself. This tendency to play God is what is called godship, and it can become a serious problem for anyone playing God. 

Perhaps we should let God define and reveal Himself through the Scriptures. Sometimes, God describes Himself by His actions, as seen in Psalm 23. Let's consider David's perspective on God after many years of knowing and working with Him. In this psalm, God, through David, creates a verbal image of who God is and what He does so humans can understand Him better. In the case of Psalm 23, David depicts God as a Shepherd who guides humanity every day. 

“The Lord is my Shepherd” – that's relationship. “I shall not want” – that's supply. “He makes me lie down in green pastures” – that's rest. “He leads me beside still waters” – that's refreshment. “He restores my soul” – that's healing. “He leads me in paths of righteousness” – that's godly guidance for our benefit. “For His name's sake” – that's purpose. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” – that's testing. “I will fear no evil” – that's protection. 

“For Thou art with me” – that's faithfulness. “Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me” – that's discipline when discipline is needed. “Thou does prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” – that's hope. “Thou anoints my head with oil” – that's consecration. “My cup runs over” – that's abundance. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” – that's perpetual blessing. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord” – that's security. “Forever.” – that's eternity. Pretty good qualifications, I would say.

Over two thousand years ago, even God's people held a distorted view of God - who He is and what He does. Israel's misunderstandings about God also misled others. Their religious leaders depicted God as one of vengeance and judgment. The Jewish people depended on their own strength to keep God's commandments, which caused them to live performance-based lives, performing religious rituals to earn God's favor. They believed that God and heaven were only for themselves, not for others. These opinions of God drove many people seeking to know God and His nature away from God. 

Israel, the nation God established to represent Him to all other nations accurately, was spreading partially true and partially false views about God. This one-sided portrayal of God caused Israel and the rest of the world to spiral downward. God faced a public relations problem on Earth that needed correcting. People didn't understand who God truly is, what He does, or why He acts the way He does. 

What did God do? God sent Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, to reveal His true nature. On that Bethlehem night, God brought clarity. He painted a picture of Himself through Jesus, redefining His identity for the world. It’s like God was telling the whole world, “Here I am, here is what I think, here is how I act, here is My love and truth in action.” Jesus explains, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” John 14:9

That wasn't pride. God became man so people could see for themselves what God is really like. Jesus told the Father, "I came to make You known." John 17:26 Jesus displayed God - first to the Jews, then to everyone else. God sending Jesus transformed how the world perceives God because now they have facts about God, since Jesus revealed the truth about God as confirmed by history, and it’s the truth that sets us free. 

For many years, I had a wrong definition of God. It hurt me more than it helped me. I was mistaken about God. I thought I was an expert, not the learner I needed to be. But now I have a much better picture of who God is and what God does, as I grow in the grace and knowledge of God.

Here’s your takeaway. Knowing the Scriptures is one thing. Knowing the author is another. When you read the Word of God, that’s good. When you allow the Word to read you, that’s better.