Touch Recognition

If You touched my face would I know You
Looked into my eyes could I behold You

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean
Are You fire, are You fury
Are You sacred, are You beautiful
What do I know, what do I know of Holy
~by Addison Road


In Numbers God says it is His custom to speak to prophets through visions and dreams. Moses was the exception. With Moses, God spoke "face to face, clearly and not in riddles." Moses was faithful. God called him friend. Moses knew God. He could behold the Lord. He recognized His touch and had an understanding of holiness. I want some of that in this lifetime. The craving in me is strong. It is like the sea lion from John Eldredge's book, "The Journey of Desire."

There once was a sea lion who had lost the sea.

He lived in a dry and dusty land where there were only a few trees. Sometimes the wind came and blew the dust through the clumps of grass. It was a miserable land, far from any ocean and far from any sea.

No one could remember how the sea lion ever came to live in the desert lands. It almost seemed as if he’d always been there, as if he belonged there. But he was, after all, a sea lion, and sea lions were made for the sea. You may wonder how such an animal could ever end up in an arid place like the desert lands and how he could survive for so long. But remember that once you’ve lived long enough somewhere, anywhere can feel like home.

...

If you had traveled through the desert lands in those days, you would have seen the sea lion for yourself. In the evenings he would climb up on a large flat rock that overlooked the entire area. He loved to get up off the dry, dusty soil and breathe in the sweet cool breezes that passed him by. Sometimes, from the east, he was sure he caught a faint whiff of salty air. And there on that rock the sea lion would rest for hours and hours. He would dream of an expanse of water as far as the eye could see — cool, refreshing and inviting. And in his dream he would plunge into the breakers and dive down into the deep blue waters below. When he awoke, he thought he could hear the sound of the roaring waves. The sea was calling him.

I want to know God. I want to see clearly. I want to understand His holiness. I want to recognize His touch. I don't want to look through a mirror dimly. The sea is calling me. Why is it so hard to respond?