Who is God?

On the Mount of the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John experienced Jesus as the Radiance of God, the "exact Image of the Invisible God," the fullness of Truth, the hope fulfilled of all the law and the prophets. "Lord," said Peter, "it is good for us to be here.  Let us build three tents [i.e., to maintain the Presence, as in the wilderness of Judea, when God 'tented,' or tabernacled, with His people].

Wouldn't it be glorious to have a "Tent of Meeting," where we could go into the Presence of God whenever we wanted -- to seek counsel, or for rest and refreshment, or for reassurance that He was still with us?  For us, Jesus Himself has become the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the Glory of God resides, the "Tabernacle" or "Tent of Meeting" between ourselves and the Holy One.

And yet, even now, as when He was among us in the flesh, His Glory is veiled, so that we would not be afraid to approach Him as Friend, Spouse, Lover.  Peter was not afraid to reproach Jesus, to argue with Him, or even to deny Him -- because He saw only "Jesus," not "Divinity," except at very rare moments, moments when he was afraid.  When Jesus arose from His sleep and calmed the storm at sea, when Peter walked on the water, at those moments, he was afraid:  Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.

God veils His Glory from us so that we can be free to run to His arms.  He wants to embrace us first, only later revealing to us Who He is.  By that time, we are no longer afraid; we have recognized our sinfulness and His mercy and love for us, just as we are.  We know that Jesus' death has crucified our sin and that we are now "a new creation" in the image and likeness of God Himself.  Knowing that we are the very children of God, we have confidence rather than fear.  Sealed with the Holy Spirit, we know that our sins will gradually be burned away from us, and that we will draw ever closer to Him. 

God is love, Truth, holiness, goodness, kindness, justice, mercy, forgiveness, Light, understanding, knowledge, Strength, "Father" and "Mother," and Wisdom.  All of Scripture and of creation sing His praise and His attributes.   And we, sinful as we are, are growing ever closer to being 'like' Him.  The anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing tells us that God looks not on who we are, or on what we have been, but rather on what we want to be.  If our desire is to be more like God, if our desire is to draw closer to His Presence and His company, then all the rest is forgotten.  He will give us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37).  

If we forget all our thoughts about who God is, and simply reach out to touch Him with the simplicity of the woman in the Gospel, we will see Him as He is.  Our thoughts and preconceptions are literally "between" us and God; they keep us from knowing Him and from touching Him.  But a "naked intent" to touch Him will reveal to us His glory, and then we, like Peter, will want to construct a tent so that we can remain in the Divine Presence.