Can you imagine?

The scripture reading that was the basis of today’s Disciplines devotion was Isaiah 62:1-5. It talks about Israel being given a new name by the Lord. “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight is in Her, and your land Married, for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.” (verse 4)

This is a word for exiles. They are being told that God is reclaiming them, redeeming them, bring them back to himself, back to the land that had been entrusted to them. It is a time of joy.

How big is your imagination? When you look at your child, when you see him as he is today, can you imagine what he will be like in 10 years? Can you look at your child, and imagine what her child will be like when you hold your granddaughter in your arms? Can you imagine?

Maybe we can. We are made in the image of God, and he has gifted us with the possibilities that our imagination can create. How big is your imagination?

When Steve and I were walking the dog last night, he said, “I know if I can’t imagine it, I can’t have it.” He was talking about something very concrete, but is that true of us?

Can we imagine what God wants us to become? The new names that God gave Israel speak to His divine imagination – they speak to what he hopes and wishes for his people to become. Delight. Committed to him.

The author of the devotion says:

The new names, here and anywhere, offer a glimpse into the divine imagination. They help us know what Love sees in us. And like guides in the wilderness, lights in the dusk, or a long-forgotten scent in the air, they help lead us back to our best and truest selves.

If holiness is a reflection of God’s character, and that transformation to holiness is a gift of God, then can we imagine what he wants us to become? Is our imagination big enough? Can we possibly know what perfect Love sees in us?

Somehow, even though some of us have wildly creative minds, I don’t think that even we can possibly create in our thoughts what he has in mind for us. I don’t think it’s true that if we can’t imagine it, we can’t have it. In this case, we have to trust the one who can imagine it for us, the one who created us with a thought and a word, and who has given us a new name – “child of God.”