Perceiving God
For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not (Job 33:14 KJV).
God speaks, once and even twice and man cannot perceive it. This is the fundamental issue we have in relating to God. He is so high, dwelling in an unapproachable light which humanity without divine help cannot see or perceive. When sin entered the world, an eternal divide was created that separated man from God.
For a man or a woman to hear God’s voice, or know Him in the mind, the Spirit of God must bring that individual into a spiritual state that allows them to perceive God. This is the reason why the ordinary Israelite in the Old Testament could not really know God. Even the prophets who had some measure of the Spirit had difficulties fully knowing Him personally.
When Jesus came, He clearly told us that He is the light of the world. This is not primarily a light to show us how to walk in the darkness, though He certainly does that. He is the Light that shows us who the Father is. This was evident in the Tabernacle where the light of the lampstand was ordered to point towards the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant carrying the presence of God dwelt.
As a believer, the Holy Spirit you received has brought you into God’s world. You are in the Spirit(Rom.8:9). That is what makes it possible for you to hear God’s voice or know Him. To the uninitiated, God does not exist because they cannot perceive Him, through the human senses, scientific observations or even philosophical adventures. This is the problem of the atheist. However, thank God for the gift of His Spirit that allows us today to perceive and know God!
MEDITATE
Why does it take the Holy Spirit for a man to acknowledge Jesus as Lord? ( 1 Cor. 12:3). Declare that “ I have received the Spirit and therefore able to perceive and know God.”
APPLY THE WORD
When you first received the Spirit as a believer, you were brought into the Spirit which is “God’s world” ( Rom. 8:9). Expect to hear His voice. Expect to know Him. The Light is now in you.
PRAY
Thank the Lord for the beautiful blessing of being able to perceive Him by His Spirit.