“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.”
The Face
Job speaks this after his long ordeal, after chapters of speeches from friends, after his own extended questioning of God, arriving finally at this specific distinction, hearing of thee by the ear, contrasted with now mine eye seeth thee, a difference between secondhand knowledge and direct, genuine encounter.
This is worth applying to your own relationship with the truths this whole movement has been exploring. It is possible to have heard, repeatedly and accurately, that you are seen, known, and made in God’s image, secondhand knowledge, accurate but not yet the direct, personal encounter Job describes reaching here.
Notice this distinction did not arrive for Job through resolved circumstances or answered questions. His actual suffering remained largely unexplained even after this encounter. What changed was not his circumstances but this direct seeing, now mine eye seeth thee, sufficient on its own, apart from full explanation.
Whatever you have only heard by the hearing of the ear regarding your own identity in God, consider today what it might mean to move toward Job’s own now mine eye seeth thee, not waiting for every question to be resolved first, but genuinely, directly encountering the one this whole book has been describing.
Turn Your Face
- Notice what truths about your identity you have only heard secondhand, not yet directly encountered.
- Seek genuine, direct encounter today, not merely accurate secondhand knowledge.
- Release the need for every question to be resolved before this direct seeing can happen.
Prayer
Lord, I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear. Let my eye see you directly today, the way Job’s did, not waiting for every question to be resolved first. Amen.
Carry this today
Secondhand knowledge and direct encounter are genuinely different things.