How Do You Picture God?

A.W. Tower once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” I’ve found in my own personal experience and that of others that it can be a common trap to think of God through a negative lens. That He’s distant, angry and judgmental. And that perception is exactly where the enemy wants us. Because if we stay in that mindset there’s no desire to draw closer to Him. However, when we expose ourselves to and open ourselves up to the truth of God’s character and nature we find that He is so so good. Here are a few scriptures to reflect on:

God is slow to anger

• Psalms 103:8, “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.”

God is forgiving 

• 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

God is love

• 1 John 4:16, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love.  God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

God is near

• Psalms 145:18, “The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth.”

  
  

God is gracious 

• 2 Chronicles 30:9b, “For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate.  He will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”

One other unique aspect and perspective about God to consider is that He is joyful. John 15:11 says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”   We can see that God is the author of joy!

And consider Zephaniah 3:17 which says, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

What a beautiful mental picture this verse brings to life; a mighty God who is with us, delights in us, loves us until fear fades away and sings over us! Now. THAT’s the type of image we should have in mind when we think of God’s heart towards us. 

I recently discussed with the infertility and loss support group ladies about picturing Jesus as joyful since He’s the author of joy. As part of the discussion we reviewed these pictures together:

If you haven't watched The Chosen, here's your nudge to check it out!

These pictures help give us important balance to how we view God. Kay Warren says in her book Choose Joy:

“Throughout history Jesus has been portrayed as sad, serious, somber.  We have flattened Jesus into a one-dimensional character instead of understanding that He was both a man of sorrows and a man of joy.  I know why fine art has captured Jesus in His most painful moments – there’s no mystery there.  The problem is that we don’t balance those graphic images of Jesus with other lighthearted images that show Him in the lighter moments that reflects His essence, not just His role.”

A. W. Tozer believed that our thoughts about God shape our beliefs, actions, and ultimately, our spiritual trajectory. If your view of God has been clouded by pain, shame or misunderstanding, you’re not alone; but you’re also not stuck.  Scripture shows us a God who delights in us, draws near and sings over us.  That’s who He really is.  May we continue to seek Him through His Word and allow the truth of His character to gently transform how we see Him – and how we walk with Him.