Expectation and revelation
What do I expect to happen when I sit down with scripture each morning? I come to the table with hope and with need. Looking for a word, a phrase—for strength, encouragement, direction, revelation.
About who God is. About myself. For something to share.
What do I (think I) know of God’s character? And how do I know it?
Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. Romans 1:20a (CEB)
When we look at creation, what do we see? As science reveals the complexity and diversity of the world and the bodies we inhabit, what do we learn of God’s invisible qualities? How do our expectations affect what we are able to perceive?
Beauty. Awe. In Psalm 19, David observes the sky. Each day is alive. The night speaks. The sun thrills at running its course. For him the perfect segue into praise for the life-giving words of the Lord. Do we feel that connection between scripture and nature, perfect complements that revive, gladden, and enlighten?
Who is this God? What is our relationship with the Lord? Do we see what we expect to see? Does that inspire praise or anger? Jonah knew God’s character, but preferred death to mercy.
I know that you are a merciful and compassionate God, very patient, full of faithful love, and willing not to destroy. Jonah 4:2b (CEB)
Is this the God we know? When we search scripture, do we find this God? When we look to the skies, is this the news one day gushes to the next?
Each morning in scripture, I expect to meet the Lord. But it requires me to pause. To be still. To listen and observe. Sometimes that is easier in nature. Sometimes we expect to meet God in creation, but are skeptical about finding that same beauty in the text. Other times we forget to look up, to observe the sky, to absorb God’s nature from nature. But creation and scripture walk hand in hand, if we can pause expectantly to observe and absorb them.
Open our eyes, Lord, still our souls, that we might see your revelation.
-Renée