Parashat Re’eh
How we see God shapes everything. It influences how we make decisions, how we handle difficult seasons, and where we ultimately end up. The Torah portion Re’eh, meaning ‘to see’ or ‘behold,’ opens with Moses standing before the Israelites and calling them into a new way of seeing. He places before them a blessing and a curse, not as a threat, but as an invitation to look clearly at where each path leads.
Research on the brain and belief confirms what Scripture has always taught: a fear-based view of God activates stress and survival responses, while a love-based view calms fear, strengthens compassion, and helps people flourish. Yeshua made this plain when He said that to see Him is to see the Father, revealing a God who is for us, not against us.
How we set our minds affects our actions. People do not walk away from God in one dramatic moment. It happens gradually, through the accumulation of small choices. Each choice sets a direction, each direction builds momentum, and that momentum eventually arrives at a destination. This is why Moses urges the Israelites to guard the direction of their hearts as they enter the promised land, where they will face new influences, convincing voices, and even people they love who may pull them away from God. Remembering what God has done is one of the most powerful tools for staying on course. When you carry a testimony of His faithfulness, it becomes a plumb line for every decision ahead.
The Israelites stood on the edge of a new season, with 40 years of wilderness behind them and everything God had promised in front of them. Before they crossed over, Moses said: see. Get your perspective right. That same invitation stands today. Whether you are in a season of abundance or difficulty, today is part of what God is using to bring about His purposes in your life. He loves you too much to waste what you are going through. Perspective is not just a mindset shift. It is an act of faith, and when we choose to see God as He truly is, loving, faithful, and for us, everything else begins to come into focus.