Heart (Seeing God)
- Michael Haldas
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
“If you even wonder why you don’t see God, look at your own heart and what’s in it…But God is merciful. The flow of a life between unbelief and belief is something of a dance and a journey. He gives us Himself in accordance to the ability of our heart. He draws us to Himself, often imperceptibly. Even in the life of belief, the dance and journey continue. For there, we are told, we see Christ “in a mirror, dimly” (1Co 13:12). The “dimness” of our present perception is a reflection of our heart and not of the quality of the revelation. As we continue in the journey, the mirror becomes yet more clear.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh, Father Stephen Freeman)
“…a heart darkened by sin and blinded by passion is simply incapable of really seeing the truth. The Lord Himself says the same: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” And this is precisely why the evangelical commandments, and all the strictures of the ascetic life, are not arbitrary demands being made upon us. They are not artificial actions designed merely to somehow prove our love for God. No, the plain truth is that they are the medicines by which Christ acts to cure our illnesses. They are manifestations of the healing power of God that alone can give us spiritual sight. They cast out the demons who blind our eyes and bind our tongues. Quite simply, they allow us to behold the Lord Jesus Christ. “ (Igumen Gabriel)
“The redemption of the world does not come with observation (Luke 17:20). Were the Kingdom of God forced on the world its precious freedom, required by love, would be forfeit and all would be for nothing. But love preserves the freedom of the world at the cost of the obvious. And so it is the pure in heart who see God. Our hearts are not made pure by sentiment, nor can they be pure as a simple matter of legality. Instead, we fast and pray and labor to give, and the Kingdom suffers violence (but not the world), and the Kingdom yields its precious pearl to the eyes of the pure.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“We can only know, can only gain God’s kingdom, from the inside of obedience. We can only progress in this upside-down realm by the smallest of decisions in the secret place of our hearts, and the smallest of choices that enact it thoroughly. Do what I say; believe. Assent to the faithfulness in small things is the condition, in Jesus’s opinion, of knowing the reality of God….Acquiring this grace of the Holy Spirit which enables us to have life eternal is, thus, the ultimate purpose of all Christian disciplines—whether fasting, prayer, worship, reading Scripture, or any others. And this transforming grace provides us at last with the right instrument for “seeing God” (Matt. 5:8), enabling our purified hearts to “behold the beauty of the Lord” (Ps. 27:4).” (Sarah Clarkson, Dr. Mary S. Ford)
“We see God, but we see Him disciplining us depending on the extent of our repentance. Not our false idea of repentance (how we often understand it). Not mere regret: “Oh, how sinful I am! Oh, how weak I am! Oh, how much I have sinned — God will not forgive me! It’s just regret. To repent means to feel the heart of God in your heart, to realize how much God loves us, to purify your feelings and see Christ. And we see Christ to the extent that we purify ourselves. This is how we see God.” (Protosinghel Galaction Dominte)
Comments