What do you see when you look into the eyes of a homeless person in the streets, shivering from the unforgiving rains on a cold night? What about that person pushing a cart along the highway, sweating profusely and looking dirty? Do you see the face of God in such people?
“Whenever I meet someone in need, it is really Jesus in His most distressing disguise.”
Mother Teresa
One of the most impactful ways God reveals Himself is through others. In the book of Matthew, Jesus taught us as follows:
“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them.”
Matthew 18:19-20
You can learn about God’s heart through others in a way that you simply can’t learn alone. Through interacting with and relating to others, you learn about God’s heart for unity, grace, humility, and love. In fellowship, you encounter people with different gifts, perspectives, and experiences that will strengthen your faith.
God longs for you to give yourself fully to the community around you. He longs to use you for the healing and building up of others. And he longs for you to embrace humility and receive help and sharpening from the others around you—for His glory.
That said, just how can you find God in others? Here are a few ways to help you answer this important question:
Pray and Trust God’s Voice
Finding God in others requires that you surrender to Him through prayer and be alert to what He is telling you. Listening to God begins with a genuine desire to hear from Him. Seek Him diligently, and He will reveal Himself to you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you whom you ought to invest in today and who He wants to use to invest in you. Ask God to help you humble yourself that you might love and show grace regardless of any perceived faults you might see in others.
Be Patient
Finding God in others sometimes requires patience. Not everyone will reflect God in a way that’s so easy for you to see. Listening to God requires absolute patience. Some days, due to personal challenges, it becomes a lot harder to be patient.
As a Christian, you know that the ultimate source of patience lives within you. Your role is to trust that the Holy Spirit is in charge. Ask Him for strength to persevere in whatever situation you find yourself.
Be Humble of Heart
One of the reasons it’s sometimes difficult to find God in other people is because of the condition of your heart. You may not always want to see God in other people based on how you view that person or issues that are plaguing your heart.
You are not in a position to make demands of God. But, just as the Bible promises, you can ask, seek, and knock and God will open the door. God will reveal Himself to you if you stay humble.
Focus on God’s Love
One of the greatest ways to find God in others is to focus on His love. God wants to lead you to all that He has promised you in His word.
When you’re struggling to find God in others, it’s important to remember how much God loves everyone—including the person you’re trying to see God in. God’s word tells us to acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He will direct our paths. When you trust God, He will lead you to His will.
Your life can be transformed when you can begin to see God in others. Even when you can’t hear His voice, God is constantly speaking to you. Surrender to His perfect will and cultivate a relationship with Him, and all His creatures will appear beautiful.