One Way to See God Everywhere

How does God appear in the world?

In Christianity, God took on human form in Jesus. In Judaism, God spoke through the prophets, chief among them Moses.

God then left us with a text, the Torah, through which we discern God's instructions for living. But if we believe in a living eternal God, how do we see God in the world today?

I don't believe the street preachers who claim God is speaking through them. And I find it hard to believe healers who claim God is using them to cure physical diseases.

But I do believe God does speak and heal. And we can see it. We simply have to be attuned. We have to turn on the right channel in our hearts and minds.

How do we find that channel? Well, prayer helps. It can lift us out of the tasks of daily and into a realm where our perception is more open and aware.

Music and community also help. They remind us we are not alone, and that beauty and abundance fill the universe.

We can also simply shift our focus and look for God everywhere, in everything. We can open our eyes to see what is right in front of us.

Here's what I mean: If you have ever bought a new car–say, a white Honda Accord–you probably started noticing white Honda Accords on the road. You were attuned to them.

Or say you are pregnant or trying to have a child. You may be more attuned to people holding a tiny baby. We see what we look for.

So if you are constantly looking for God, you will see God.

I can't tell you what God looks like. But I can tell you, as Abraham Joshua Heschel put it, that God is also looking for us. God, as Heschel put it, is "in search of man."

How wonderful is that? As we are looking for God, God is looking for us!

Think of a flower–a flower is designed to turn toward the sun. That’s how it grows. Similarly, human beings are designed to turn toward God. And God lets us grow.

But unlike the sun, God is not simply a natural force. God is a living, creative being looking for each of us. Sometimes we just need to open our eyes.