In Our Mind's Eye

I had been thinking about going to Egypt, off and on, for well over 50 years. It was one of the places that I wanted to learn about and see. During the 15 years when we worked and lived in Europe, we never went there, because at that time we thought that it was not a good place to take small children. But in April of 2001, we went, the two of us, with a group and a leader.

Before we left, I read a number of books about Egypt of old and studied up on it. When we got there, we saw the pyramids and the sphinx; we walked through the Valley of the Kings; we took a five-day cruise on the Nile; we saw inside some of the tombs; and we were fascinated by the art work of so many centuries ago.

Recently, I have been reading a book that I bought while there, and I was amazed again at the artwork found in various tombs. There are pictures showing in great detail people hunting and fishing, or a procession of people bringing gifts to a dignitary. Other pictures simply show what people looked like at that time. I have read that there are paintings, mosaics, and coins from biblical times, but I don't know of any scenes from Bible times. But then, I thought, we have the Bible, and the words written by New Testament writers are so plain that we can see the scenes in our minds.

For instance:

Luke 9:28 – About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. (NIV)

In my mind's eye, I can see the four of them heading towards the high hill. On the flat lands, there are gardens; on the slope of the hill, there are vineyards; and as they reach the top of the hill, there are trees and some open spaces. In the distance down below, they can see the Sea of Galilee.

Luke 9:29 – As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. (NIV)

God's Word tells us exactly how it was! The words give us such an easy way to see a picture of this event. The words are so descriptive that I can see it happening.

Luke 9:30-31 – Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (NIV)

This transfiguration experience apparently settled Jesus' mind about doing God's will in crucifixion and resurrection to save us from our sins, for shortly afterwards, "Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51b NIV).

As we enter today into the season of Lent in preparation for Good Friday and Easter, let us likewise resolutely set out to do God's will as He reveals it to us.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we are so thankful for the writers of the Bible, those people who were divinely inspired to tell us of Your great plan of salvation for all who believe in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. We thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.