Day 213: John 14:19–21

The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him (v. 21).

God has never revealed Himself to me in flames of fire from within a bush like He did to Moses in Exodus 3:2; nor have I ever seen chariots of fire like Elisha; but I have often beheld God’s glory through nature. My soul is as drawn to a certain chain of mountains in the Northwest as a river is drawn to the sea. At least several times a year I feel the wooing of God to come and meet Him there. I confer with Him every day at home, but occasionally our souls crave a display of His glory that can best be seen against a less common backdrop, don’t they?

Not too long ago I stayed by myself in a small place in the national park overlooking “my” mountains. Every night when I got into bed, I reminded myself that I had come for rest as well as inspiration. I’d try to talk myself into sleeping past dawn, but I never could. I rose every morning long before light, threw on a heavy coat, and drove to find a front-row seat to behold the sunrise. I rolled down my window to hear the mighty beasts of the field bugle their presence. In perfect covenant consistency, every morning God caused the rays of sunlight to baptize the tips of the mountain—then I watched until He bathed the valley as well. I was so overcome by the majesty such awesomeness suggested that I thought my heart would leap from my chest. At such a moment, Habakkuk 3:3–4 invaded my thoughts:

His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise. His brilliance is like light; rays are flashing from His hand. This is where His power is hidden (hcsb).

God’s Word suggests He can reveal Himself in numerous ways, but His ultimate revelation to man was through His very own Son, Jesus. He came to show us God in an embraceable, visible form. I believe a very important part of Christ’s promise in John 14:21 is that after His departure, He would continue to reveal, manifest, or make Himself known to His followers through the witness of His Spirit and the power of His Word.