Have you ever looked at something from afar and thought you knew exactly what it was, but when you came upon it you realized you had been completely wrong? I pondered that as my husband and I were driving to my mom’s house yesterday with our three kids. As he drove down one street he saw a person by the road with their arm outstretched, hitchhiking. My husband thought aloud, “Sorry, but I have a full car, and I don’t know you.” But as we drove closer we saw that it was a woman at the end of her driveway. She was taking a quick break from shoveling and was resting her arm on her shovel.
How often do we do that? What we perceive to be true from afar we find is much different when we are close. How many times do we do that with people? We look at them and think we know who they are, how they are, and what they’re thinking. Just by a glance. We are quick to judge by appearances alone, or by an action we see quickly. But if we really took the time to get to know someone, or to stop and talk to them, we may find that what we perceived to be true was not.
How often do we do that with God? We know exactly what He thinks. We know if He loves us or not. We know if we’re worthy or not. Sometimes we think that He can’t love us because of what we’ve done. Or sometimes we’re too cocky and think He loves me, but there’s no way He can love THAT person. What we perceive to be true about Him is not always what is. If we sit back and “know” God, but don’t try to actually get to know Him, how can we be sure that what we “know” is true? We need that deeper relationship with Him so that we can even begin to understand Him.
If we don’t seek Him, we don’t know Him. He is a stranger that we see from afar, one that we judge at first glance. We choose who He is and how He acts. But God wants us to get to know Him intimately. Just think about it. First, He gave us a book filled with words that came from Him; a love story from beginning to end. Not everything in it is an example of good, but it shows what God can do with situations. It shows us how He wants us to be, and how NOT to be. If you read this book, meditate on the words, and become intimate with it, then you know what He wants from you and for you. It practically spells it out. This book, of course, is the Bible. It’s thousands of years old, and still true to this day. And we know that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16,17)
Another way He wants us to become intimate with Him is through prayer. He tells us to come to Him with everything. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, writes, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Eph 6:18a) Even Moses, when speaking to the Israelaites after wandering for forty years in the desert, said, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?” (Dt 4:7) Christ, all man and all God, prayed to God the Father. He was not without prayer. For forty days He prayed and fasted in the desert. He prayed before His betrayal that God take the cup from His hands, but only if it was God’s will. And he prayed for himself, for his disciples, and for all believers. He is our example to follow, and He knew how to be one with God…through prayer. God is there when we pray. He listens to each and every prayer, and if WE take the time to listen, we will hear from Him what exactly He wants for us. The more we pray, the more we listen, the more we know Him.
Through these two things alone we are able to learn and understand more about Him, and we are able to gain a relationship with Him by following what it is He wants for us. Imagine how much more we will know if we also surround ourselves with other believers, learn from each other, and keep each other accountable? We no longer make our own assumptions. God told us not to judge, so why would we not only judge our fellow men, but also Him? Learn, pray, read; grow in Him daily. He wants a relationship with each and every one of us. He wants each and every one of us to enter His kingdom, but we can only do it by having a relationship with Him, and only that through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
I don’t know what God’s plan is for your life, and without a daily, intimate, relationship with Him, neither will you. So the next time you think you know who God is, or how He is, think to yourself, “Do I really know Him enough to say that? Or am I just looking at Him from afar and making my judgment?”
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pt 3:8,9)
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, and may you seek Him in all earnestness, with all your heart, to gain a relationship with Him. He is waiting for you. May your love for Him grow as you get to know Him more and more each and every day, and may you realize how great His love is for you, a love that never ends. Amen
How often do we do that? What we perceive to be true from afar we find is much different when we are close. How many times do we do that with people? We look at them and think we know who they are, how they are, and what they’re thinking. Just by a glance. We are quick to judge by appearances alone, or by an action we see quickly. But if we really took the time to get to know someone, or to stop and talk to them, we may find that what we perceived to be true was not.
How often do we do that with God? We know exactly what He thinks. We know if He loves us or not. We know if we’re worthy or not. Sometimes we think that He can’t love us because of what we’ve done. Or sometimes we’re too cocky and think He loves me, but there’s no way He can love THAT person. What we perceive to be true about Him is not always what is. If we sit back and “know” God, but don’t try to actually get to know Him, how can we be sure that what we “know” is true? We need that deeper relationship with Him so that we can even begin to understand Him.
If we don’t seek Him, we don’t know Him. He is a stranger that we see from afar, one that we judge at first glance. We choose who He is and how He acts. But God wants us to get to know Him intimately. Just think about it. First, He gave us a book filled with words that came from Him; a love story from beginning to end. Not everything in it is an example of good, but it shows what God can do with situations. It shows us how He wants us to be, and how NOT to be. If you read this book, meditate on the words, and become intimate with it, then you know what He wants from you and for you. It practically spells it out. This book, of course, is the Bible. It’s thousands of years old, and still true to this day. And we know that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16,17)
Another way He wants us to become intimate with Him is through prayer. He tells us to come to Him with everything. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, writes, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Eph 6:18a) Even Moses, when speaking to the Israelaites after wandering for forty years in the desert, said, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?” (Dt 4:7) Christ, all man and all God, prayed to God the Father. He was not without prayer. For forty days He prayed and fasted in the desert. He prayed before His betrayal that God take the cup from His hands, but only if it was God’s will. And he prayed for himself, for his disciples, and for all believers. He is our example to follow, and He knew how to be one with God…through prayer. God is there when we pray. He listens to each and every prayer, and if WE take the time to listen, we will hear from Him what exactly He wants for us. The more we pray, the more we listen, the more we know Him.
Through these two things alone we are able to learn and understand more about Him, and we are able to gain a relationship with Him by following what it is He wants for us. Imagine how much more we will know if we also surround ourselves with other believers, learn from each other, and keep each other accountable? We no longer make our own assumptions. God told us not to judge, so why would we not only judge our fellow men, but also Him? Learn, pray, read; grow in Him daily. He wants a relationship with each and every one of us. He wants each and every one of us to enter His kingdom, but we can only do it by having a relationship with Him, and only that through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
I don’t know what God’s plan is for your life, and without a daily, intimate, relationship with Him, neither will you. So the next time you think you know who God is, or how He is, think to yourself, “Do I really know Him enough to say that? Or am I just looking at Him from afar and making my judgment?”
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pt 3:8,9)
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, and may you seek Him in all earnestness, with all your heart, to gain a relationship with Him. He is waiting for you. May your love for Him grow as you get to know Him more and more each and every day, and may you realize how great His love is for you, a love that never ends. Amen
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