When God Appears: A Reflection on Theophany and Human Response
Theophany—literally “appearance of God”—is not just a theological term. It’s a moment when the veil between heaven and earth thins, and the divine becomes perceptible to human senses. These encounters are rare, dramatic, and transformative. They do not merely inform; they reorient.
Let’s explore two vivid biblical theophanies and how their recipients responded—not with casual awe, but with trembling, wrestling, and lifelong change.
🔥 Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3)
In the wilderness of Horeb, Moses sees a bush ablaze yet unconsumed. He approaches, curious. Then comes the voice: “Moses, Moses.” God identifies Himself and commands Moses to remove his sandals—he is on holy ground.
Reaction:
Moses hides his face, afraid to look at God. He protests his inadequacy, questions his calling, and ultimately obeys. This theophany doesn’t just reveal God’s presence—it commissions Moses to liberate a nation. The encounter marks a pivot from exile to leadership, from anonymity to prophetic authority.
🤼 Jacob Wrestles with God (Genesis 32)
On the eve of meeting his estranged brother Esau, Jacob is alone. A mysterious man wrestles him through the night. At dawn, Jacob demands a blessing. The man renames him Israel—“he who struggles with God”—and blesses him.
Reaction:
Jacob limps away, physically marked and spiritually renamed. He declares, “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” This theophany is not majestic—it’s gritty, intimate, and bruising. It transforms Jacob’s identity and reframes his relationship with both God and family.
🕊️ What Theophany Teaches Us
- God’s presence is not always gentle. It may confront, commission, or even wound.
- Recipients are changed. Not just in belief, but in name, vocation, and posture.
- Theophany is not spectacle—it’s invitation. To listen, to respond, to live differently.
a post inspired by Blest Atheist by Elizabeth Mahlou
Book Description
As a young child, outraged by the hypocrisy she finds in a church that does nothing to alleviate the physical and sexual abuse she experiences on a regular basis, Beth delivers an accusatory youth sermon and gets her family expelled from the church. Having locked the door on God, Beth goes on to raise a family of seven children, learn 17 languages, and enjoy a career that takes her to NASA, Washington, and 24 countries. All the time, however, God keeps knocking at the door, protecting and blessing her, which she realizes only decades later. Ultimately, Beth finds God in a very simple yet most unusual way. A very human story, Blest Atheist encompasses the greatest literary themes of all time – alienation, redemption, and even the miraculous. The author’s life experiences, both tragic and tremendous, result in a spiritual journey containing significant ups and downs that ultimately yield great joy and humility.
Keywords:
spiritual memoir; atheist to believer; spiritual journey; faith and redemption; abuse and recovery; atheist conversion story; God and trauma; healing from religious abuse; inspirational autobiography; finding faith after abuse; abuse survivor story; overcoming childhood trauma; women in science; NASA memoir; language learning memoir; international career woman; large family motherhood' multilingual memoir; resilience and faith; human suffering and hope; alienation and grace; memoir of miracles; personal transformation; finding God later in life; surviving religious hypocrisy; humility and spiritual growth; autobiographical redemption; theodicy and personal story
Book Review by Amazon customer, Brendan M. Howard: Flawed Protagonist, Honest Struggles
Elizabeth Mahlou's autobiography and tale of coming to believe in God has a lot going for it.
Her candid descriptions of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of relatives gripped this reader in a flood of sympathy and horror. Mahlou's great reserve of optimism and compassion as child and adult seems initially boastful. But in light of her life of childhood trauma, physically and mentally challenged children of her own, her commendable hunt for intellectual success, and a cycle of poverty that she constantly fights to escape, readers will find themselves rooting for Mahlou more than most any other autobiographical subject in English letters. The story of her hurts and triumphs, unlike those of writers reeling from the obscene horrors of the Holocaust, horrific genocidal wars, or horrendous serial killing drama, is scary in its possibility. Parents who don't know how not to hit their kids? Medical and educational leaders who blindly try to force or refuse treatment to her children? These are realities for many, and her strength will be succor to those fighting against establishment figures.
But Mahlou's chief reason for writing this very personal tale is not to offer succor, but to tell the story of how an atheist came to believe in God. As a very intelligent, very compassionate nonbeliever-turned-Christian, Mahlou is a captivating example of religion's pull even for those who aren't writhing in self-pity, aren't blind to all but childish reasons for religious belief, and aren't obediently following their parents' and parents' parents belief systems.
This is a tale of belief hard-fought-against, wisely considered, and spiritually experienced.
MidWest Book Review
US Review of Books
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