Reflections

We went on one of our favourite walks along the lovely Northumberland coast on the day before the shortest of the year. Sunset was early and lasted long. That evening, the sun was setting behind clouds and was invisible to us. But the clouds above us and to the east were in sunshine. They reflected all the glory of the sunset that was hidden from us. And the sea and wet sand reflected the amazing colours of the clouds. As we neared the end of our walk, we got slower and slower, just amazed at the wonderful colours all around us. Talk of reflected glory!

Later, as I looked at the photos I’d taken, I began to think about God’s glory. We can’t see that; but it does get reflected. ‘The heavens declare the glory of God’ (Psalm 19:1); ‘since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made’ (Romans 1:20).

But there’s another way in which He wants His glory to be reflected.

As we walked along the beach, we couldn’t see the actual setting sun, but we could see its reflected glory in the clouds above us. And we could see the reflection of the reflection in the sea and the wet sand. Thinking about it, I felt God showing me something as clear as it was simple. Other people may not see God’s glory – that’s hidden from them. But, as a follower of Jesus, the veil between Him and me has been taken away (2 Corinthians 3:5). The ‘eyes of my heart’ (Ephesians 1:18) have been opened. Just as the clouds above me yesterday could ‘see’ the setting sun, I can see the glory of God.

But yesterday, there was also the reflection of the reflection – the colours of the clouds in the sea and wet sand. And that’s when I felt God asking me some very simple questions: “Richard, does your life reflect what your heart reflects? Can people see anything of Me through your life? Does your heart, like the clouds, see the sunshine of My presence? The wet sand reflected all the beauty in the sky. Does your life truly reflect what your heart sees?” ‘As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart’ (Proverbs 27:19).

Prayer: Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all his wonderful passion and purity. O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. Amen (from the hymn by Albert Osborne).