...high above this throne was a figure whose appearance was like that of a man. From his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining through the clouds... Ezekiel 1:26-28 (New Living Translation)
For the most part, when we talk with someone, we have a good idea what they look like. If we’re talking with them face to face, we can tell if they are tall or short, what color their eyes and hair are, if they are neat as a pin or more casual.
The Bible talks about a few God sightings, and His description is never quite the same. Moses saw a burning bush. Elijah was told to stand on a mountain top and God would cover his eyes so that Elijah couldn’t see God’s face but could see God’s back as He passed by. Somehow, we feel more comfortable if we can see the person we’re talking to. It’s much more acceptable to say that we were just talking to the lady with the blonde ponytail, the baseball jersey, and blue jeans. If we say that we were talking with God the other day, we’re likely to get a funny look – somewhat similar to the look we would get if we admitted to talking to the stuffed dinosaur that lives on our beds. It’s all right to have an imaginary friend when we’re kids; but when we grow up, we’re supposed to put away childish things (like imaginary friends).
The problem is that sometimes we come across a situation that we don’t know how to handle, and those imaginary friends (or the dinosaur) are the only ones we can talk to. We may have a friend who has suddenly stopped talking to us or we may have a situation at work where we have two people giving us opposite instructions and we have to decide which instructions we’ll follow.
The interesting thing about the God sightings is that, even though no one has been able to give a good description of what God looks like, everyone who sees Him, knows it’s Him. I believe that God created all of us a little differently from each other. Even those who are part of a multiple birth aren’t exactly like their siblings. They may look alike but there will be subtle differences between them. It would make sense, then, for God to appear to each of us in ways that are tailored to our needs.
There’s a Christmas song, “Some Children See Him...” that sings of how children all over the world see the baby Jesus as looking just like them – whatever the color of their skin, hair, or eyes. The only difference is that he’s “bright with heavenly grace and filled with holy light.”
May God come to you as only He can, bringing grace and light.
Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. She is the author of “Jessie’s Corner: Something to Think About,” a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.
