Optical illusions can be illustrated in art.  There are several drawings that have multiple perceptions, one is a old woman or a young lady depicted in one image depending on how your brain interprets the information captured by the eye.  Another is a stairway that seems to go up endlessly using illusion that is impossible.  Once the comics had pictures of various colors that looked random, but as you looked at it an imbeded image would appear.  The old saying, “Seeing is believing” has two meanings, at least; that what we see is true or that we believe what we see irrespective of whether it is true or not.

Much of what we see is incomplete or even contradictory, but our brain is trained to interpret the visual information in accordance with expected reality, it happens instantaneously and with a good degree of precision, but not always.  A good example of this is hand/eye coordination, where your eye perceives the location of a ball in mid-air as your hand moves to that perceived and projected location at the right time to catch it.  Our perception is imperfect and we can often arrive at a misconception of God.

The Bible contains truth regarding the character and nature of God, delivered through His dealings with Israel and more precisely through the words, actions and life of Yeshua, Messiah.  The physical characteristics of the Bible itself is unique in all respects; it has endured so long, its accuracy was maintained with great precision, it contains much prophetic and verifiable information, it has impacted multitudes down through history, it’s understandable to a child and remains a mystery the worldly wise, and it has a depth, scope and volume of wisdom unmatched in any other book.  Finally, its critics have never been able to debunk it after thousands of years.

Facts and information are important, but alone they are insufficient because we live in a multi-dimensional world.  You didn’t love your spouse because of the facts about them, it began there including an imperceptible analysis of information, but it was based in something much deeper, a connection, a fellowship, shared emotions, shared faith and a transcendent/spiritual connection.  So too, our faith in God may start in the written Word, that God is good, but our consciousness, experience and our innermost being also evidence the reality of truth.  God is Spirit and Love, which is both spiritual as well as tangible.  We exist in a physical body that includes a conscious soul and a living spirit.  In this sense we bear the image of God.  The tangible/physical is temporary, but the Spirit is eternal.  “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4: 24).

The point is – God is good, always, in every circumstance and in a multitude of ways.  Our perception may occasionally contradict this truth, but the error is ours, due to wrong thinking, partial or inaccurate knowledge, or our own faulty judgment or reasoning.  We can rely on the Truth, we can bank on God’s lovingkindness, it never fails.  This Truth is fundamental and opens the door to faith and relationship.  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11: 6).  Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Flee the coming wrath and cast yourself into the everlasting arms of God’s love and mercy.