Pictures of God

Have you ever wished you had a photograph of God? Artists have tried to paint Jesus, but they're just guessing about His appearance. When we think about Him, maybe those are the images that come to mind.


I like to think about God in terms of what He says about Himself--not so much His looks as His character. The Bible is full of words that paint pictures of God.


Psalm 121:5-8 says, "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever."


I live in Texas, so it's especially nice to think of God as our shade. He shelters us from the heat--whatever that "heat" may be in our lives. I love to ponder all that these words might mean. Why did God tell us the sun would not smite us by day, nor the moon by night? It's not likely He meant to assure us that the sun and moon aren't going to reach out and smack us. So what did He mean? To me this says He's very near. Close enough to cover me day and night. Close enough to keep not just my body, but my soul. And He promises to do it forever.


When you read the Bible, do you look for snapshots of the Lord? What's your favorite word picture of God?