Hello brother,For me, and I'm only speaking for me, it's compulsory to imagine/visualize our Father when in prayer and cannot really conceive otherwise. That being said my personal visualizations vary depending on my current disposition which is at best inconsistent. I was taught a prayer model in the beginning of my discipleship training to magnify God, His glory, holiness, beauty, power, love, faithfulness, mercy etc... This requires me to visualize Him in all His manifold wisdom that my tiny but grateful mind can muster! Still while it certainly falls short of His fullness, it nonetheless serves to help build my faith in the One who is capable to save to the uttermost by affirming Him with the eyes of my heart... Faith. It is also a quite humbling practice. I have noticed times where I have imagined Him on His throne as Ginneyrose stated; so holy so as to be unapproachable in His majesty. Other times He is very accessible, so much so I've found myself in His lap being personally and intimately cared for and this I can assure you is a most comforting experience.Still other times when I was in a "dry place" I had imagined Him being far away, almost abstract in relation to the experience I was having. These are often followed by times of refreshing, of intimate communion. Other times while worshipping I imagine Him leaning forward with a pleasant look upon Him, receiving the offering of praise.While other times I imagine Him weeping over the faithlessness of His people,...over their/our unbelief.Incidentally when I image my savior, His Son, my King Lord Jesus, I imagine Him as He is presently; at the right hand of the Father and not on the cross as some do. While that's between themselves and the Lord it is my perspective and rendering of scripture that to acknowledge Him as He is,...alive- is to affirm His resurrection and bring glory to God:)Not sure if this is what you meant but hope this helps as I found your question humble and sincere.Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
_________________Fletcher
I do believe that those who claim they do not have some image of Jesus in their mind are likely not 100% truthful. I agree that we should not dwell on that image but I do not think it is possible not to have some image in our minds. Plus- we are given a description of his glorified image in Rev. 1.
_________________Todd
I have occasional flashes of visual thought of God and of eternity with Him looks like but they are fleeting thoughts such that it is impossible for me to give any definite description.I have no known consistent image that I can witness to.
_________________Tim
It is one thing for the Holy Spirit to give you aDream, vision, or revelation of Jesus Christ. When we read the living Word, the Holy Spiritis able to show us Jesus, because our minds and imagination are flooded with light. It is quite another thing to conjure up images and pictures in your mind of God. When this happens the image is merely a product of your imagination.
_________________Mike
The late brother Keith Green had made a statement his sermon "Devotion or devotions?" Which is,I believe, available here on SermonIndex, that had a profound effect on my prayer life. He had suggested that instead of ritualistically reciting a prayer asking a far off God to bless our food, to visualize Jesus standing right in front of us giving us the food, feeding us out of Himself as He does all of creation everyday! And just say thank you from this place of being humbled by His caring presence. I realized this was communion,... His presence and the provision in it.I had realized that I had been taking my meals for granted as if they were owed me, but this definitely helped to position my heart in a humble fashion and to renew the spirit of my mind to His presence and care for His sheep.While he didn't go I into the semantics of His appearance, the admonition was in fact to visualize Jesus in prayer.