Icons of Devotion

Kingfisher diving into its own reflection

Scottish photographer Alan McFadyen spent an estimated 6 years, 4,200 hrs, and 720,000 exposures to capture one perfect image of a beautiful kingfisher bird making contact with his own image within the water. There is no question that capturing a perfect image like this would give an extreme sense of fulfillment to the photographer.

This story has captured more than a timeless picture of this beautiful bird, but has also captured my heart in a deeper degree of wonder through this spectacular image. This illustration speaks to the willingness to wait and be persistent until you are able to capture the one image that speaks as a mirror image. If this is the story of a person trying to capture the perfect picture, what does it speak to the devotional man or woman who is setting their heart to be the image bearer of Christ in the earth? I believe it speaks to the need of what my Apostle would term as “the necessity of trans-generational consciousness.” Are you willing to spend your life as a seed if it means that the following generations get to inherit a lifestyle that looks more like Eden than the religious trappings of the modern age? I would hope that all of our answers would be a strong yes, but the truth is, we say yes with daily decisions, and that can bring a tension that is more difficult to adjust to than we are willing to admit. If we do say yes, we also must understand that it may be misunderstood by logical Christian thinking. The kingdom man will always be in opposition to the temporal consumer, which is why he can be misunderstood by today’s American Christian culture. He is always making decisions today that may not be seen until they can be inherited by the generations to come.

For me, this image of the bird making contact with his own image became an icon of devotion. An icon is a term that was primarily coined by the early Orthodox Christian Church, which valued having icons to spark their prayer lives to deeper degrees of devotion. I am a firm believer that today, more than ever, we need to have icons of devotion that will spark gratitude, thanksgiving, and remembrance. Icons that inspire and usher in the testimony of the past that gives permission for a hopeful future. To go one step further, I believe the goal to every lifestyle of the believer is to become a living icon that would be safe for others to emulate. I believe when Jesus said, “When you have seen Me, you have seen the Father,” He was giving us a frame of reference for an icon. Paul even said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Most people would see a statement like that today as cultish and borderline blasphemous. But the revelation of image bearers was much more recognizable to the early church than it is today. What we need today is a people who have set their heart to a lifestyle that is countercultural and is generationally focused, so we can move beyond the limitations that are consequential to the life of the self-gratified life. When the early church spoke about the life union with Jesus, the focus wasn’t on the selfish ambition of manipulating leaders. It was on the life that is possible with the union of a resurrected Christ. Unfortunately, the selfish ambition that’s connected to many leadership models today will cause you to miss out on the legacy that is possible through the decisions of the devotional man or woman.

I believe when David said, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, one thing will I seek after,” that he meant that as his sole ambition. It wasn’t the marketing drive of the new devotional campaign. He had lived a life that was filled with the testimony of his faithfulness and goodness, that he never wanted to be removed from it again. That was enough for him to banquet at the table of Presence all the days of his life. The story of David is always highlighted by the conquest of a giant that released a nation into revival. But the true testimony of David was the revelation that when he came to confront the giant, it wasn’t with swords and spears, but in the name of the Lord. That revelation was the citadel of his strength. His strategy wasn’t to defeat Goliath by natural means, but in the grace of an inherited identity as a beloved son. Through David’s victory, he became an icon for the underdog who would face “impossible” odds.

Today, we need to have icons that remind us of the goodness and faithfulness of a loving Father. That in the midst of a world with a blurred perspective, there is still hope ready to be captured. What would it look like in the life of the believer who sets their heart to capture the reflection of the image of the One who brings the hope to the nations? To be the one who will carry the reflection of the image of the One, being completely surrendered in devotion? It may mean years of stillness, hours of waiting, and hundreds of thousands of moments exchanged, all in attempts to capture ONE perfect image that could be an icon of hope to the world. The earth is groaning for the appearing of the ones who have captured the image and have become His image bearers in the earth.

Until the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, His rule shall never end!