II. BEING OVER US, THROUGH US, AND IN US
Ephesians 4:6 says, "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." All refers to all believers. The Divine Trinity is implied here. Over all refers mainly to the Father, through all to the Son, and in all to the Spirit. God the Father can be in three positions—over all, through all, and in all—because God is triune and even God the Father also is triune. Hence, God the Father has all the positions of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. As the Father, He is over all; in the Son He is through all; and as the Spirit, He is in all. This shows us that God the Father is involved with the believers in a triune way. The way He is with us is triune.
Whenever the Father reaches us, He does not reach us alone, but He comes with the Son. Furthermore, when the Son comes with the Father, the Son is the Spirit. The Father comes in the Son, and the Son as the Spirit comes with the Father. Hence, when the Father comes, the Son and the Spirit also come. When God the Father comes to us, He always comes to us in the Son, who comes to us as the Spirit. The Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—comes to us in a threefold, triune way for the divine dispensing.
When we fellowship with God the Father, we can sense that He is over us, overshadowing us; at the same time, we sense that this loving One is also going through us; and as we continue to fellowship with Him, we sense, even the more, that He dwells in us. His overshadowing us, His going through us, and His dwelling in us are all for the divine dispensing. Therefore, through His overshadowing us, going through us, and indwelling us, God dispenses Himself into us in a triune way. When we experience and enjoy this dispensing, we sense God the Father in three aspects—He is over us, through us, and in us.
III. SEEN BY THE PURE IN HEART
The One who is over us, through us, and in us can be seen by us. In Matthew 5:8 the Lord says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Seeing God is a reward to the pure in heart. This blessing is both for today and for the coming age. To be pure in heart is to be single in purpose, to have the single goal of accomplishing God’s will for God’s glory (1 Cor. 10:31). If we are pure in heart in seeking God, we will see God.
Of course, this does not mean that we can see God with our physical eyes. Rather, we see Him with our spirit in a pure and single heart. If we have an open spirit and a pure heart, we will see God. Seeing God is an experience and enjoyment of the Father. When we see Him, He will reveal Himself in us, dispense Himself into us, and infuse Himself into our entire being.
IV. DRAWING NEAR TO THOSE WHO DRAW NEAR TO HIM
God the Father not only is seen by the pure in heart but also draws near to those who draw near to Him. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." God can be seen, but we need to be pure in heart. Likewise, God desires to draw near to us, but we need to draw near to Him. If we do not draw near to Him, He will not draw near to us in our experience. His drawing near to us hinges on our taking the initiative first to draw near to Him.
Whenever we draw near to God under the redeeming blood of Christ, we sense that God is near to us. He draws near to us that we may experience and enjoy Him. God shows His love and sympathy toward us by drawing near to us. When He draws near to us, He also comforts us, encourages us, and strengthens us. God the Father is near to those who draw near to Him that He may give them His love, sympathize with them, and comfort, encourage, and strengthen them. Thus, the believers experience and enjoy God as the Father in the love of God.
(Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 3, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
