Knowing God
How well do you know God?
Verse of the Day
‘Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.’
Today’s Devotional
(This is repeat post from August 2020.)
Building trust seems to be a many faceted process. Today’s verse is telling us that the more we know God, the more we will trust Him.
There is a difference between knowing someone’s name and actually knowing them on a deep and personal level. Right now, how many friends/followers/connections do you have on any form of social media? Out of those people, how many of them would you call if you needed something? For me, the people I can depend on are people I have spent a considerable amount of time with.
To know God, one must spend time with him. I read something recently that stuck out to me about this. “You cannot know a friend from hurried interviews, much less God.” I need to admit that sometimes my time spent with God is hurried. If I’m honest, the hurried time with God does not feel very fruitful. Don’t get me wrong, it’s better than nothing. But the sweet spot for me is when I give God my full, unhurried attention.
The more I get to know God, the more I am in awe of Him. To know God’s name is the equivalent of learning His character which is made known by His acts. That does not limit my knowledge of God to strictly what was written in the Bible. God is acting still today, in my life and yours, and every action He takes displays His character. There more I know God, the more I will love God, and the more I will trust Him.
If I am lacking trust in a certain area, I need to stop down and remember who God is and what attributes of His character I am need to focus on. I need to seek Him. And if I will take the time to seek Him, I will not be forsaken or disappointed. That’s what He says in today’s verse. Do I believe it?
There are many ways to get to know God better. For me, I need time in the Word. I need prayer. I need to listen. I need to praise. I need to journal my thoughts to God and pay attention to how He shows up. I need to be grateful. I need to be in community with other people that are trying to get to know God better. I need to read books written by seekers. I need to talk to my people about where I’m struggling, so they will point me toward knowing God better. I need to be teachable so that God can continue to reveal Himself to me. I need to see Him moving in my life, and for that I need to be looking. If knowing God better will help me to trust Him, I want to be “all in” on knowing Him. In my experience, though, He only reveals Himself to me a little at a time. He loves us so much that He doesn’t want to overwhelm us. He really is that good.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How has God worked in your life, and what did that teach you about His character?
How can you get to know God better today?
How does your knowledge of God help you to trust?