Stephen spoke tonight about knowing God. Recently, he has spoken about trust and wisdom and about the fear of the Lord. So often, we fear the unknown, but whilst we are called to fear God (in terms of respect and reverence), God is not unknown to us. He reveals Himself to us in many ways, including through the creation all around us. There is so much of God to know, for He is the Alpha and the Omega, our Father and Saviour, the God of life, and the more we know Him, the more our lives can be changed.
The primary way we know God is through the revelation of Him in the Bible. Knowing a person involves much more than just knowing what someone looks like; we have to know their thoughts, characteristics and opinions, and the chief way we get to know them is through communication. In the same way, we need to know God’s thoughts, characteristics and opinions and we learn more of Him as we develop in prayer.
We need to listen, hear and read the Bible in order to know more of God – in whatever medium we find easiest. These days, we can absorb the Bible through video and audio as well as through reading the actual book; we can read it on a Kindle or tablet or even on a wristwatch! Josh 1:8-9 reminds us that we need to meditate on this word day and night (see also Ps 1:2). Meditation invovles chewing over a verse, pondering it, considering its meaning and delighting in it. (Ps 119:14, 16)
We desperately need to pick up God’s word in order to develop our knowledge of God. God’s word needs to be active within us, so that our image of God matches His revelation. Rom 8:5 reminds us that spiritual minds are set on what the Spirit desires, and if our minds are focussed on knowing God, we will grow spiritually. We may not enjoy reading much, but God’s word needs to be installed in our hearts so we must pick up God’s word in order to develop our knowledge of God. Ultimately, John 6:45 reminds us that they shall all be taught by God; we need to take the word of God and read it so that we can know and be taught by Him.
