Any God that is a spirit will be elusive, knowable only by her “fingerprints”. She may well act in my life and world, but I will only ever see the effects of her action, never her.
When I gaze at the rich hues of the setting sun I choose to see the creative genius who called forth the laws of physics. Her fingerprints are all over it, but it is the fading sun I see, not her.
When my mind and heart fill with a sense that God is present as I worship, nearer than my breath, it is my neurons firing that I am feeling. Yes I choose to believe they are responding to her presence, but all I have are fingerprints once more.
When I receive the words of Jesus as God’s word I find her direction for my life. Yet the tangible I have is printed words on a page. Fingerprints.
If only God was embodied or somehow visible to my senses I could watch her paint the sunset, see her holding me during worship, audibly hear her whispering to me. It would still be an experience mediated through my senses, but it would be much more tangible, less elusive, less open to interpretation.
One day, Jesus promised, one day, it will be like that. Until then faith and fingerprints will have to do.
Liked the image of God’s fingerprints all over everything
I still feel uncomfortable referring to God as “She” as Jesus always called God “Father” and tells us in the Lord’s Prayer to begin “Our Father…”
I’m not being sexist…and Jesus certainly wasn’t
What do you think?
Hi Dave, Thanks for the contribution. Yes, Jesus taught us in the Lord’s prayer to pray to God our Father, but I don’t see him as being restrictive. That is he’s not suggesting that the only way we can ever address God is using the word father any more than he suggesting the only words we can ever pray are those in the Lord’s prayer. I think the use of Father language reflects the patriarchal household structure of the time. It recognises God as head of the world household who loves the household and to whom household members owe honour.… Read more »