Knowing God — Part II
Note: This is Part II of II of a two part column. See Part I in last Wednesday’s paper — March 15.
Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Imagine with me for a moment, a young man is courting this young lady that he just met, he is head over heals in love with her.
As Percy Sledge would say “when a man loves a woman, he cant get his mind on nothing else.”
This young, vibrant Casanova pursues this young lady by first asking her what her name is. Did he walk over there just to get her name? No he didn’t. He is after more than just information.
Information is important in this circumstance — vital even — but its not the young mans goal … His goal is relationship.
The Young man asks her name, she gives it, they start dating, talking on FaceTime and the phone for hundreds of hours, over time, feelings deepen and eventually they get married. On wedding night, they will initiate the full knowledge of knowing each other through the intimacy of holy matrimony.
God doesn’t just want to know your name, He isn’t just after information,
He wants intimacy with you. He wants to know the full essence of who you are and in return. He wants you to know the very essence of who he is.
The Lord wants you to talk about who He is, and not just who He is in the Heavens, butt also who is in History and on earth. God isn’t after long distance relationships.
It is Gods desire for you to know His ways , what moves His heart and what he does on earth so that you cant help but tell others. God desires to reveal Himself to you in such a way that makes you smile with delight. We call this “Illumination.”
Illumination is when God unveils Himself and allows you to see who He really is. A perfect illustration would be that of a dimmer being attached to a light in the room. If you were turn on that light, a portion of that light would brighten the room somewhat, but as you turn the dial on that dimmer, more light will flood through the room. The greater the illumination, the easier it is to see everything there is to be seen.
If you really want to get to know God, he must have freedom to vacate the box you have had him hiding in so that he can illuminate himself, and be who he really is, not who you think he is. Only God has the real privilege to define Himself. He is who he says he is, not who we say he is.
Why don’t you just experience God for yourself ?