Clothes can be beautiful. The very rich spend tens of thousands of dollars to don designer creations of the most exquisite fabrics. Why? Beautiful sartorial creations can make even the doughtiest of people appear coiffed and poised.
And if we’re already beautiful? Then we shine with magnificence.
It’s when we strip away the clothing that we show who we are. We can’t pretend any longer. Our thin legs; our bony elbows; the freckles that shadow our shoulders. They’re all out on display. We become who we are, and we can’t hide any of it.
Read in Genesis 3:7 where it says:
“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”
Naked people and designer creations. Adam and Eve had felt perfectly comfortable in their perfection, then they covered it up. Why? They had become imperfect. God could see their lie, and they wanted to hide what they’d become.
Do we do that spiritually? Do we know we’ve erred, and when we pray, we try to put on our designer prayers so that we look pretty before God?
In Isaiah 47:2-3, God may be speaking to Babylon, but his words apply to us as well.
“Strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen.”
Clothing our prayers in fancy words doesn’t impress God. He sees through our fancy sentences and repeated salutations. We can call him the Great Creator of the Universe, but if we harbor anger toward our brother, disgrace colors every word we pray.
Our carefully crafted clothing wraps our words, but in God’s eyes, we stand naked before him.
Read what Jesus said in John 14:6:
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ”
Rodeo Drive. Designer Row. We’ve finally reached God’s boutique. We’ve gained admission, and we have the beautiful stuff spread before us. We can wear it all. Check out these clothing creations:
Ephesians 2:8-9 is the billboard that draws us in:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Acts 4:12 tells us our designer is top notch:
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 17:3 describes our proffered purchase:
“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
John 8:12 dresses us warmly:
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ”
John 1:12 is our shiny credit card:
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
In 2 Samuel 6:14 we walk out the door, beautifully dressed:
“And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.”
Linen is a magnificent material. It irons to perfection and looks sharp and crisp. In the heat of a summer day, it keeps us cool and comfortable. Its one drawback? It wrinkles easily, and it has to be laundered to get the wrinkles out.
Our relationship with Christ is the same. Let’s watch how we sit, so we keep our God-clothes wrinkle free. Then we can come naked before him in prayer, and he will see us as the beautiful creation we really are.
We are always naked when we stand before God.
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