Can you tell the difference between the glasses pictured here? One pair is the pair that I use to lessen the strain on my eyes while reading when I am wearing my contacts. Yes, they are reading glasses, but no, I don’t really need reading glasses yet. The other pair of glasses is a pair that my daughter bought this year for Halloween to be part of her nerd costume.
Can you tell the difference? Not really. I asked my daughter if she was trying to tell me something.
Glasses are good. They help us to see things more clearly than we would see without them. Getting glasses is sort of easy. You go to the eye doctor’s office where they test your vision, prescribe certain lenses, and then fit you with a pair of glasses.
We can put the new glasses on and see the world almost completely different. I remember getting glasses for the first time and being able to see the chalkboard again, or maybe for the first time.
Last week I found myself wanting to see as God sees. What does God see when He looks around the world? What does God see when He looks at the leaders of our country? What does God see when He looks at our television screens, if He does? What does God see when He looks at the buildings where people gather calling themselves church?
God sees things differently than we do. One example of this happens when Samuel is looking for the right person to be king. He goes through Jesse’s sons, looking for the next king. The first son he comes to looks the part, but God says no, not that one.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven’t selected him. God doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16)
Would we have seen David as the next king?
All you have to do is read through Matthew 5 to realize we do not see the world as God sees the world. Jesus is teaching the crowd and speaks:
3 “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 “Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
5 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
6 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
7 “Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.
8 “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
9 “Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.
10 “Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 “Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. 12 Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.
Is that what we see when we look at the world?
What does God see? What do you see? What do I see? When you look at other people? When you look at the struggles throughout the world? When you look at the church?
Here is a prayer to pray, but I warn you, do not pray it lightly, for it will change you.
“God, help me to see as You see.”
Blessings,
Pastor Matt
(All scripture cited above from Common English Bible Copyright © 2011)