Can Anyone Ever Really See God?

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know

that the hand of the Lord has done this?

– Job 12:7-9

Some people say that you can’t actually see God.  You feel Him all around you.  He dwells in your heart.  But you don’t really see Him.  For others, every moment is a waking reminder of God’s grace.  Every blade of grass or cloud in the sky – they see God.  How could you look at His Creation and not see Him?

The following, tells the story of a small boy trying to understand where one sees God and getting a wise answer from his Grandfather.

A small boy once approached his slightly older sister with a question about God. “Susan, can anybody ever really see God?” he asked. Busy with other things, Susan curtly replied: “No, of course not silly. God is so far up in heaven that nobody can see Him.”

Time passed, but his question still lingered so he approached his mother: “Mum, can anybody ever really see God?”

“No, not really,” she gently said. “God is a spirit and He dwells in our hearts, but we can never really see Him.” Somewhat satisfied but still wondering, the youngster went on his way.

Not long afterwards, his saintly old grandfather took the little boy on a fishing trip. They were having a great time together–it had been an ideal day.

The sun was beginning to set with unusual splendor as the day ended. The old man stopped fishing and turned his full attention to the exquisite beauty unfolding before him. On seeing the face of his grandfather reflecting such deep peace and contentment as he gazed into the magnificent ever-changing sunset, the little boy thought for a moment and finally spoke hesitatingly,

“Grandad, I–I– wasn’t going to ask anybody else, but I wonder if you can tell me the answer to something I’ve been wondering about a long time–can anybody–can anybody ever really see God?”

The old man did not even turn his head. A long moment slipped by before he finally answered.

“Grandson,” he quietly said. “It’s getting so I can’t see anything else.”