Sensing the Unseen

From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. Romans 1:20a

God has gifted us with five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Miraculous avenues through which the Spirit enters the physical world of our lives and brings brief glimpses of what we are unable to ascertain in our present tents of flesh.

Rolling mountains poking their heads out of foggy valleys. Haunting mandolin melodies that pull on the strings of our souls. Steamy, moist scents of afternoon rains. Sweet, ripe blueberries warmed by the sun and popped into eager mouths. Gentle caresses from rough, calloused hands at the end of a long weary day. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches that cause us to remember what we have not ever truly known yet in our hearts are homesick for.

Even the sour sensations of life make us long for the sweet and point to the day when we will finally have the veil lifted from our eyes. Like children peeking through the holes in their mother’s hand-knit afghan to watch a scary movie, we see through a veil darkly. Someday, we are promised, we will see our Creator face to face.

Until that day, the sensations come and quickly fade. They linger on our eyelids and leave a longing in our hearts. We try to dream the dream again, but we cannot will it to return. Nor can we predict the next visitation. Yet we look forward to His coming and know in our hearts that we have experienced a taste of things to come. A dainty morsel to whet our appetites for more of Him.

“As a result, [we] are without excuse” (Romans 1:20b). We have glimpsed His glory and experienced the truth of His “eternal power and divine nature” in what He has made—the world around us and the sensations within us. “God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees, and flowers, and clouds, and stars” (Martin Luther) … and may it also be written in us.