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‘Knowing You.
Philippians 4:6 – 9
Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer with thanksgiving, bring your requests to God. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.
And so, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.
When Jesus came to Israel and performed miracles people were amazed by what He did.
But most did not get to know Him or understand His love and care for them.
Many years ago I said to the Lord ‘I really want to know You, not just know about You but to really know You’. I found in Scripture that when he started to lead the people across the wilderness Moses also expressed this longing. The Lord slowly but surely revealed more and more of Himself to Moses through the 40 year wilderness experience he led him through.
Relationships slowly grow, they develop through doing things together and spending time in each others company. Just as it took many years for Moses to know the Lord, it takes us time as well as we go through life with Jesus. Scripture tells us that the Lord spoke to Moses as a friend, it took time to build up that friendship, their relationship had a familiarity about it.
In my previous church background they quite wrongly taught me that if I sinned it would separate me for God. There was a fear element in their teaching, familiarity wasn’t even on the menu. Being frightened of God doesn’t really go with being a friend of God. If you have a fear of a friend then they’re not a true friend. Instead of trusting that the Lord wanted to know me as I was, I spent years trying to change myself to be better for God, now I know there was no need. Sins didn’t and don’t separate us, that’s just not true. If we are always trying to turn ourselves into something we aren’t, it blocks us from having a truly close relationship.
The hallmark of a truly loving relationship on a human level is knowing that we are loved
just as we are not because of what we do or don’t do. A relationship where one partner has exacting standards and the other has to constantly apologise for not being good enough is recognised as an abusive relationship. Expecting a partner or a friend to change themselves in all sorts of ways causes great harm. Our loving Father is not like that! Focusing on trying to change ourselves all that time gets in the way of being close to God.
I was taught a lot about things that we must give up to become like Christ, not realising that Jesus gave everything up to become like us. He came down to our level so that we can relate to Him, exactly at our level. Each one of us are unique individuals with the diversity that God intended all along.
When we have a heartfelt desire to know Him more, He helps us to learn gradually how to recognise his leading and how to trust and rely on Him. He enables us to grow into a person who knows the Lord, has a deep sense of belonging to Him, a strong inner knowing that He always loves us no matter what, and an absolute trust in Him. And it takes time. When we have that real desire to know the Lord, we want to know Him so well that we can feel like we are speaking to Him face to face. Like two close friends talking or even at times like lovers expressing love for each other.
The wonderful thing is that as we go on with our lives with that desire, He will gradually show us more and more of what He is like. He will give us opportunities to gradually recognise His leading and to trust Him, at first in the little things, and as we grow in Him in the bigger things in our lives.
We don’t have to strive to get to know Him, All we do is be open to hearing from Him and respond to Him when we hear Him. And dare to trust him when he guides us in a particular way. Maybe start with Lord, what do you want to say to me today?
To trust someone you have to know them first. Lord show us Your ways that we may know You and as we know You more, enable our trust in You to grow.
