As believers, we continually seek God—His presence, His insight, and His leading. Scripture assures us that He will never abandon us, and we are blessed with the indwelling Holy Spirit. Furthermore, we are promised that if we ask anything according to His will, we can be confident that He will answer. God’s relationship with us is described as that of a good father to his child, and even more than that, a perfect and loving Father. Most significantly, we have Yeshua, the Messiah, who is the human embodiment of Almighty God. In Him, we see God revealed in ways that speak directly to the situations we face in our lives.
Apart from this intimate, personal knowledge of God, we have the full text of Scripture—prophecies, both past and future, guidance in the wisdom books, and teachings in the epistles on how to live in community with fellow believers.
Yet, despite all this, I still find myself yearning for more of Him. This led me to question myself: Do I truly know God as He is? Have I shaped Him into an image of my own making? Am I worshipping an idol, rather than the one true God? This thought was unsettling, and I began to consider the potential dangers of a “Christian” form of idolatry.
It is true that God is incomprehensible and beyond our understanding—His deity, holiness, sovereignty, and majesty place Him far above us in every way. I also remembered the awe and reverence our Christian forefathers expressed in their worship and devotion. In contrast, today’s casual, familiar, and even slang-like approach to God feels almost irreverent, despite the sincerity that often underlies it, driven by genuine need, desperation, and intimacy.
In the depths of my reflection, a vivid image began to take shape in my mind. I saw a small, dirt-covered child kneeling in prayer, dressed in playground clothes—shorts and a t-shirt, his hands clasped and head bowed. Above him, the enemy stood, smirking, holding up various cardboard posters, each depicting a distorted image of God. One showed a kindly, white-haired grandfather in overalls, sitting in a rocking chair. Another displayed a modern-day, athletic man—square-jawed and bearded, dressed in fashionable, casual wear. There was also a renaissance-style painting of God sitting on the clouds, and another showing a young coach surrounded by his players, instructing them on the next play. In the background, other demons held up their own images, each designed to draw the eye and lead the heart astray.
We are prone to be deceived, both by the enemy and by our own fallen nature. But we have a Heavenly Father, a Savior in Yeshua, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide and counsel us. We are not called to follow an image, but to listen to a voice—the unmistakable voice of the Good Shepherd. As Jesus said in John 10:27-28, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
In this, we are reminded that true worship is not about the images we form, but about responding to His voice and walking in His will.
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