Reflection in Parable
or “Visionary Language”
 

All God’s prophets spoke God’s word through a series of visions; telling us not only what they have heard but what they have seen of God’s will.

Visionary language is a sharp weapon.  You see, it is so easy to be perilously self-deceived about sin.  We can call the evil in which we are engaged “harmless” until we come to believe it ourselves.  One way in which God gets us to see the truth is to put it into picture or story form.  Pictures have a knack of bypassing our mental defenses and bringing the truth home to our hearts and consciences.  It was for this reason that Jesus spoke in parables and used apocalyptic imagery to talk of the final things.

Informed by the Spirit, prophets see into the real state of affairs in society.  Prophetic insight is like an x-ray of the people’s real condition.

It is not what we are in our own eyes that counts, but what we are in God’s eyes.  Better by far to face God’s searching and realistic assessment of our true condition than to continue to hide in the deadly self-deception caused by our sin.  If we continue to sin we stay in the darkness, but to come out into God’s light is to find life.  Is God talking to you about something you are hiding in the darkness?  Bring it out into the light.

Gracious and loving Father, I see that to stay in the darkness is to experience spiritual death.  If there is anything in my life that is hidden and needs to be brought out into the light then help me to deal with it this very day.  In Jesus’ name.   Amen.

Olivia Cameo Lewis
2004