Aren’t lenses amazing things? Not only do they enable us to see clearly with the aid of our glasses, but they reveal so much more to us besides, whether through hand-held lenses, optical microscopes, telescopes, binoculars, or electron microscopes. When I was a child, my parents gave me a microscope one Christmas. That amazing present opened up new worlds for me. I found, for example, that the mud at the bottom of farm drains contained another universe, teaming with invisible life, all beautiful in its own way. Now we take pleasure in watching our grandchildren exploring nature with lenses too.

At the other end of the scale, the Hubble telescope circles Earth, providing breath-taking views of other worlds
unseen; exploring deep into space, looking back into history over millions and billions of years.

I like macrophotography where special lenses are used to explore the inner workings of flowers, for example. However we look at life, through whatever lens we choose, it is impossible not to be in awe of creation, stunned by the beauty of it all, overwhelmed by the intricacy and perfection of every aspect, no matter how big or small, and astonished at the scale of the universe in time and space. Considering the might, glory, and power of God who created it all, as so aptly described in many of the Psalms, one can’t help but echo the sentiment of Psalm 8: 4: ‘What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?’ We thank God that he does care for us, in spite of our many failings.

There is another lens that we can use too. The primary function of lenses is to enable us to see things more clearly. The Bible is thus another lens which enables us to see God more clearly. Just as lenses can make very small things appear large, so they can be used to make impossibly large things appear smaller, bringing them into our scale of dimensions. The ‘dimensions’ of God are impossibly large for our small minds to comprehend, but by looking at God through the Bible lens we can at least explore ‘bits’ of Him. Like Theo examining the flower, a small part of the whole bush, so we can gain images of the nature of God through what the Bible reveals to us, slowly building up a picture of His true nature.

Now is as good a time as any to start looking through the Bible lens at the wonders of God. Not only does God reveal Himself through it, but it lights our path: ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet, a light for my path’, Psalm 119: 105.

Murray