Blog

• seeingtheIAM

We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). And when we walk in trust, we may later come to see with 20/20 hindsight what God was orchestrating all along.

In the book Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis, Lucy is the first one to see the lion, Aslan, return. However, no one believes her because they have not seen him with their own eyes. Later, when Lucy sees the lion and talks with him about the first sighting, she expresses her frustration with her siblings who did not have eyes to see the lion or faith to believe that Lucy had truly seen Aslan.

Aslan then sends Lucy to share the news that he has returned: “...go back to the others now, and wake them up; and tell them you have seen me again; and that you must all get up at once and follow me...”
“Will the others see you too?” asked Lucy.
“Certainly not at first,” said Aslan. “Later on, it depends.”
“But they won’t believe me!” said Lucy.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Aslan.

Lucy goes on to lament that Aslan is not going to show up and conquer their enemies in the same way he did the last time. Yet, they both know that, in time, with 20/20 hindsight, all will be given the opportunity to believe and to trust in the way Aslan will continue to work in the future.

It can be hard to be the only one who believes, clinging to God with the faith of a child, trusting in what we cannot see. Yet 20/20 hindsight affirms God’s faithfulness and informs our testimony of belief (Heb. 11).

What can you look back on in your own life and see how God was working? How does this help you to look with eyes of faith, see the I AM clearly, and solidify your testimony of belief for the future? Take the opportunity to share that story of God’s faithfulness with someone else today. Your 20/20 hindsight of God’s hand at work can be an encouragement to someone else who is having trouble seeing the I AM clearly in the midst of their own current circumstances. And it will serve as a reminder to you to trust the way God is working today.

• guest writer
• IronRoseSister
• seeingtheIAM
• 2020

Seeing the I AM Clearly
Written by Kara Benson, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries

A few months ago, I had the blessing of attending the Iron Rose Sister Ministries Destination Retreat. It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by so many Spanish-speaking women of faith! I loved meeting, learning from, and growing with these Christian ladies. Hearing their personal testimonies was encouraging and worshipping together in a bilingual context was rejuvenating.

In one of her keynote addresses, Michelle made the following point: our little “I” gets in the way of seeing the great “I AM.” That statement stuck in my mind. The more I processed it, the more I realized how true it is! How many problems are caused—directly or indirectly—by me getting in the way?

A great example of this pitfall is in marriage. I love my husband. We share a lot of the same beliefs, values, opinions, and interests in life. However, that does not mean that he is me. But so often, I forget that. I expect him to think, feel, and react the same way I do. I expect him to prioritize, plan, organize a closet, load a dishwasher, set a thermostat, and decorate a Christmas tree the same way I would. And trust me, we’ve had our fair share of conflicts because of it!

It can be the same with God. Sometimes, I forget that God is not like me. From his beautiful masterpieces in nature, I know He is creative. From His amazing love letter written in three languages, I know He desires relationship. From the six days of creation followed by His cessation of labor on the seventh, I know He values hard work and rest.

But God is not like us (Psalm 50). He doesn’t get hungry; in fact, He doesn’t need anything at all. The whole world and everything in it belong to Him. God is holy. He is never indifferent to sin, even when we have a difficult time staying serious about it. God’s word judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, whereas we cannot even judge ourselves, let alone our neighbor. God always loves us, even when others let us down. People don’t always have our best interest at heart, but God always looks out for our long-term good. We want forgiveness without a change in behavior, blessings without obedience, and love without sacrifice, but God does not. God is a merciful, forgiving, and loving consuming fire who hates sin and destroys his enemies. And that is hard to wrap my head around.

We don’t get closer to God by digging deeper into ourselves or ingesting the teachings of men. When we try to see God through the lens of ourselves, we will inevitably make God into our own image. To see the I AM clearly, I must remove myself from the picture. I must stop trying to project myself and what I like onto God and instead allow Him to define Himself through His word. It’s 2020. Are you seeing clearly?