From the Psalms
“God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us” – Ps 117:27
(118:27 in English versions)
«Θεὸς Κύριος καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν» (Ψαλμ. ΡΙΗ᾽ 27)
Throughout every Service of the Orthodox Church are scattered verses from the Psalms. At the beginning of every Matins (Orthros) Service, the Orthodox faithful proclaim with the Psalmist: “God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Ps 117:27,26). This simple yet profound phrase is the core of Christian teaching: God has indeed revealed Himself to us. This is what makes Christianity unique and separates it from all other man-made faiths. St Paul writes in his Epistle to the Galatians that “the Gospel which was preached by me is not according to man” (Gal. 1:11).
In what ways has God revealed Himself to us?
- God has revealed Himself to us through creation. Fr George Florovsky writes that creation is “a manifestation of God”.
- God has revealed Himself to us through the Scriptures, both the Old Testament (God’s revelation through the chosen people of Israel) and the New Testament (the revelation of Jesus Christ, the divine Word of God in human flesh). Indeed, Jesus Christ is the one truly “blessed… who comes in the name of the Lord” as the Psalmist states.
- God has revealed Himself to us and continues to reveal Himself to us in the lives of the Saints throughout the ages, in the wisdom and insight of the Church Fathers, in the Divine Liturgy and every Mystery of the Orthodox Christian Church.
- God can also reveal Himself to us in our own lives. If we want God to reveal Himself, we must purify our minds and hearts and humble ourselves to make room for God to act. Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica says: “God is a mystery to all beings… God reveals Himself only to the meek and humble. He is present everywhere…”
In this way we can come into living communion with God who has revealed Himself to us and continues to reveal Himself to those who love Him.
Source: February-March 2015 Lychnos Edition