http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isa%2055:8-9&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Cor%2013:12&version=NIV
Every once in a while we get surprised by others, don’t we? I’m not talking parties here. I’m talking actions. For example, a friend that we’ve known for years suddenly quits their job. And buys a house in Aruba. Or a neighbor that we’ve known for years one day commits suicide. Or a spouse that we’ve been married to for years decides they want a divorce. They walk out the door. And into the arms of a new-found love. We are left wondering why? How? Yes, it appears that all of us are surprised by others at some point in time. We thought that we knew them. Then we found out that we didn’t.
That happened to me with God recently. God and I go way back. To be truthful, we go all the way back to eternity past when He first thought of creating me. But from my recollection, we go back 45+ years. To when I was just entering my teens. That’s when God & I ‘tied the knot’, so to speak. When I entered into a relationship with Him. A relationship that continues to this present day.
Now one would think that in 45+ years, I would really know God by now. I mean, we’ve been together such a long time. We’ve talked together. We’ve gone through life together. I’ve learned so much about Him. By reading the Bible. Through experience. By worshiping Him. So it came as quite a shock to me when I found out that I really didn’t know Him that well after all. It’s almost as if I’ve been worshiping a concept. Or a God of my own creation. Sometimes I feel like John 4:22 where Jesus told the woman at the well that she worshiped ‘what she did not know’. Or when Paul found an altar to the Unknown God on Mars Hill in Athens. Let me explain.
Lately my attention has been drawn to a number of verses in Scripture. Verses that talk about how holy God is. How terrible He is. How awesome. Verses that talk about how loving He is. And full of grace. And mercy. Slowly I have to come to the realization that after all these years I have only scratched the surface of who God really is. And it has rocked my world. I am ashamed. I thought I knew God pretty well. It turns out that I don’t. Because I haven’t spent time going deeper in my Bible reading. I haven’t spent as much time meditating on His Word as I should have. My prayer times have been far too short on time. And substance. The result is that I find that I don’t know God very well at all.
And God is not content with this. Because His desire is that I get to know Him intimately. Deeply. That I know Him in an intensely personal way. Because that is the essence of love. Of relationship. And that is His desire for you, as well. And for every person on this planet. In Jeremiah 9:24 God says, “But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me...” This is what God wants from us. To be known. To be understood. To be appreciated. To be loved. But this takes time. It takes intentionality. It takes commitment.
So I am asking God to help me. To help me get to know Him better. To help me pursue Him. And seek Him. With all my heart. One day I am going to see Him. And then I will understand so much more about Him than I do now. And for all eternity I am going to get to know Him better and better. Now that’s something to look forward to!
Lord, You are so awesome. And holy. And loving. There is so much to learn about You. To explore. To know. Help me to pursue You will all my heart. Increase my desire to know you. And understand You. And love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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