A Clear view

A Clear View
II Chronicles 6:33
Listen from your home in Heaven and honor the prayers of the foreigner,So that people all over the world will know who you are and what you’re like,and live in reverent obedience before you…
(Message translation)

Have you ever walked through one of the mirror rooms at the fair? You know the ones that contort and stretch your image? You can make out that it is your reflection but it is far from a clear representation of what you really look like. Have you looked through the window of your car after the tiny fingers of your children have smeared everything from juice to leftover Cheerios on it? Nothing looks quite right when gazing through the smudges. It seems all you can see are the smears that they left and it takes more work to look through their markings to get to the image on the other side.
Sometimes I wonder if that is the way the view of God is in our lives to those on the outside looking in. II Chronicles 6:33 is a prayer of Solomon and I believe should be the prayer of every believer. Solomon wanted God to answer his prayer and work in his life in such a way that people all over the world would know who God is and what He is really like. He had the clear understanding that it is through an accurate view of God that others are challenged to live in reverent obedience to Him.
These verses should pose the question in each of us as to what view of God our lives are giving to others? Are we reflecting a clear image of who He really is and what He is really like or is our life and the choices we are making contorting His image to the world? Can they see not only what He is like, but what our response should be to Who He is? Does it take a lot of scrutiny for those on the outside to see God in our lives because of the smudges we have made, or can they gaze into our lives and quickly see the reflection of God?
Is it your desire to reflect Him clearly to those around you? Is there anything in your life that is contorting His image? Ask God today to use you to simply mirror Who He is and what He is like. Ask Him to use the Windex of His Word to wash away anything that would hinder His reflection through you. Align your focus today on God and His glory, so that the focus of others looking into your life would be directed to Him, as well.