Inside vs. Outside

What do you see when you look at ice cream?  Do you see heaven?  Temptation?  Memories?  Calories?  When my son was three years old, he was most impressed with ice cream when it had brightly colored sprinkles.  For him, that is what made good ice cream.  Even though I feel that they do not add much to the taste of ice cream, it was more fun for him to eat the ice cream if it has sprinkles.

What do you see when you look at people?  It's not what God sees.  The first king of Israel, Saul, had made so many mistakes as the leader of God's people that God was done with him.  Samuel, the prophet, was told that he would find the next king at Jesse's house.  The oldest son walked out of the house and Samuel was getting his anointing gear out - this guy was tall, handsome, strong, and bound to be a much better leader for the people of God.  But God didn't agree.  He was looking for something else, someone else.  

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

David is known as being a man after God's own heart.  No other mortal has ever been given such a title.  Was it because he as perfect as possible?  Probably not.  David was responsible for murder, adultery, poor parenting, and the death of thousands of Israelites.  Still, David was known as being a man after God's own heart.  David is known for doing great things like defeating the Philistines, beating Goliath with a slingshot, and writing incredible psalms of praise to God.  I don't think it was any of those things that made him great.  If I had to pick one thing that makes David stand out for me, it was his humility.  He was honest when he sinned, and confessed it straight to God in Psalm 51.  Humility is a powerful characteristic of a leader.

The outside of people do not always reflect what God sees, but events are also not always what they seem.  One of the biggest questions I had as a child was why the cool stuff of the Bible doesn't happen anymore.  I would love to have seen the plagues on Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, a kid beating a 9 foot tall giant, Noah's boat, the men walk out of the fiery furnace, a guy walking on water, or feeding thousands of people out of one lunch box.  Why don't miracles happen any more?

^{Hebrews 1:1-2}

¹ In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 

I read these verses at least a dozen times before I realized what they meant, and it's related to another powerful question: what does God look like?  We would say Jesus, and we would be right.  What about before Jesus?  What did God look like to Isaiah or Nehemiah?  How would you describe God?  There were no idols, so you couldn't point to the image of a calf or beast or even a person.  God was known by what he did.  He was the God who called Abraham, the God who gave Moses the commandments, the God who was a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day, the God who rescued Daniel from the lions... In the past, that is how God spoke to people - using the events and prophets.  But if you really want to know what God looks like, look to Jesus.  Jesus is the ultimate way God speaks to His People.

So do miracles still happen?  I would say yes!  There have been miracles involving missionaries and angels all over the world.  I don't know if hockey in 1980 counts, but even so, there have been wonderful glimpses of God working in a unique way in people's lives.  The key is that even though miracles may happen, the ultimate way God stills speaks to people is through the person of Jesus.