Get out of the way and let G-d in!

Has G-d ever spoken to you? Have you ever seen G-d?
Phew. I was going to have to be more careful around you.

Seriously though, have you ever seen the how G-d helped you out of a situation? Isn’t that a form of G-d speaking to you?

Have you ever driven up to the GA mountains this time of year and seen the beauty of the Fall? The endless colors of leaves? Isn’t that a form of seeing G-d?

The opening of this weeks Portion we see Abraham in conversation with G-d when the angels arrive. Abraham experiences Divine revelation straight up and through the angels. Abraham’s life is filled with seeing G-d and having G-d speak to him.

Indeed, Abraham exemplifies in his life the key for us to experience G-d; get out of the way, it’s not about you! The more we make it about service, fulfilling G-d’s commandments and His will, the more we can experience Him.

Conversely, the more we are in the way, the harder it is for us to experience the Divine.

We see this even in the opening story of the Portion. Abraham is speaking with G-d and then he sees the angels who appear to him to be men traveling in the desert. Abraham knows that it is G-d’s will to be kind to the stranger and so he asks G-d to excuse him while he tends to the guests. Imagine that, “excuse me G-d, I have guests to attend to!”.

If your life is defined by service than it’s not about your experiencing G-d but doing what G-d wants. Yes, Abraham’s act is a hard one to follow but he is our father after all and in some small way we may be able to emulate him.

So let me ask that question again…Has G-d ever spoken to you? Have you ever seen G-d?

Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad if the answer was simply yes!