A Veiled Glimpse of His Glory

The mountains have long been my wilderness cathedral.  Throughout my walk of faith in Christ Jesus, I have always found refuge when surrounded by this endless testimony of God’s creative power.   In preparation for one such hike into God’s majestic design, I was eating breakfast when an couple engaged in conversation.  They were surprised to learn of my intention to travel alone.  The elderly man closed our conversation with some sage wisdom: “Well, I would encourage you to enjoy your solitude.”  Indeed, I was embarking on an adventure, absent any human companionship and yet not alone at all.  In solitude, I would journey with my Father.  

The REason

Burdened by desire to become more aware and sensitive to the spiritual communion God desires, I feel compelled to journal my thoughts.  The spiritual realm, which escapes the five senses of this physical realm, tends to be downplayed or even dismissed in my understanding of reality.  And yet it is in the invisible where the intimate relationship with God is discovered.  Even as the wind blows, not knowing where it comes from or where it goes, but its presence unmistakable (Jn 3:8), God desires to open my heart to this deeper relational truth.  His Spirit testifies to my spirit, that I am a child of God.   I see beyond creation to the Creator gaining an understanding of what He desires in a relationship with those of who have been adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself (Eph 1:5).  In the end, it is the spiritual realm which will prevail with the temporary, worldly elements passing away.  Drawing upon the descriptive words of Isaiah, I am lifted beyond my physical limitations to peer into the vastness of His character.

That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun, that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other… It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their host.

Isaiah 45:6-7,12

What follows is a conflation of experiences worshipping God in my wilderness cathedral.  It is here I sense God’s presence in a unique way.  But it is clear that I am at the trailhead of a journey which will span all of eternity as I explore His infinite character.    

Experiences

It was a perfectly calm morning. The aviary of the wild echoed with diverse tonality.  The towering pines shared their aroma while standing as sentinels over the beauty of God’s creation.  In the foreground lie a mountain lake with an unperturbed surface – glass smooth.  Positioned in the cleft of a boulder, I watched the curtain rise.  The sun bursts forth from the restraint of the horizon’s edge, bringing to life the character and contour of the majestic mountain peaks in the distance.  Before me was a sublime testimony to the only true God which yielded a powerful spiritual encounter deeply impacting my soul. 

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Roman 1:20

While surveying this beautiful panorama, my attention was drawn to the reflection on the pristine lake surface.  A comparison of the mountain range with the water canvas reproduction yielded no discrepancy.  My soul was moved by this mirror image of God’s creativity. It was then I realized the visible was but a portal into the invisible realm, the spiritual dimension, a holy space in my inner man.  

There was a unique proclamation agreed to by the Godhead on the 6^th day of creation – “Let us make man in our image.”  It was that moment which differentiated man from all created order.  Declaring the Godhead “image” to be the blueprint, the soul of man possessed the unique ability to commune with God at the most intimate level.  Man was gifted with mind, will, and emotion as instruments of worship, praise, fellowship, and obedience in this harmonious relationship.  Adam and Eve were to be that mirror image of God’s character, fully acceptable and pleasing to Him, to rule over the earth and subdue it.   God declared it “very good” and rested from His creative work.  What a beautiful relationship they had with God.  It was paradise…… for a time. 

The idea of a mirror image of His character was overwhelming.  As a descendent of Adam, plagued by the fallen nature, I had been rescued from the domain of darkness (Col 1:13), and seated in the heavenly places with Christ by grace through faith alone (Eph 2:6).  The Spirit of God was testifying with my spirit that I belonged to Him – a child of God (Rom 8:16).  To be such a mirror image of my Father, to align with His will, and to represent His name overwhelmed my senses. Mesmerized by this moment, I longed for perpetuity only to realize that, in Christ Jesus, that was exactly what I possessed.  

Challenged

Yet in my inner man there remained a struggle with forces seeking to distort my communion with God.  Lurking in the shadows of my wilderness experience was one with intentions contrary to God’s revelation. 

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Satan’s objective all along was to reinforce his ongoing rebellion against God by seeking the destruction of this brief intimacy in paradise.  The strategy in the Garden of Eden even as in my wilderness cathedral moment was to subtly launch a counterattack in hopes of disrupting all that was “very good.”   His plan was to heave rocks into the mountain lake of my life seeking to annihilate any sense of the mirror image of God.  In the Garden, Satan won a temporary victory, successfully causing such disruption through Adam’s choice.  He sought dissonance in this moment of harmony I was enjoying with God. This invisible war appearing in my inner man was a call to battle.

Victory

God did not abandon me to the opposing forces.  One greater than Satan came to my defense. Victory over the enemy in my inner man was made possible through the power of the Holy Spirit as a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). I was empowered to stand firm against the world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness (Eph 6:12).  I would not be robbed of my holy communion with God.  By His providence, I was experiencing this glorious display of the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness as one in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:7).  I was reminded that the image of God was being restored in my soul through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  Paul’s declaration resonated in my soul that as one who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, I was to keep seeking the things above, setting my mind on things above knowing that I had died to my old ways and that my life was now hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3). Only for a moment did the enemy create a distraction from my encounter with God.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, equipped with the armor of God, I stood firm (Eph 6:14). I met with God in this wilderness cathedral – truly a holy moment. 

Reality

Some may argue that such an account is too abstract, too spiritual or mystic to equate with reality.  But I believe that is the core issue – what is reality anyway?  The invisible war experienced in my inner man further substantiates the reality of the spiritual realm.  Waiting until my death bed to embrace that to which I will certainly journey seems foolish.  Reflecting on my experiences, I cannot deny the impression upon my heart, the stirring of my soul.  The scriptures testify to the spiritual realm as enduring.  Our journey in this life confirms the visible realm as temporal.  God is spirit and it is in the spiritual realm that I will find relational intimacy.  The one in opposition would like nothing more than to discount the credibility of such a spiritual engagement.  But Satan cannot dissuade with his worldly influences.   My journey to the spiritual realm is indisputable. In fact, I am already there, seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It is in these brief wilderness cathedral moments that I sense a veiled glimpse of His glory.  

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians2:4-7