How to Get to Know God
I’ve always thought that the way you get to know God is through a relationship with Him. I mean, that is true, and I’ll talk about that below, but I realized during my Bible study this morning (1 John 2:3-6 and John 7:21-23) that my deep connection with God and my intimate understanding of who God is has actually derived from something more than my initial understanding of “being in relationship” with God. And….go figure! The Bible reveals this to us very clearly and I’ve just never connected the dots until now.
So, before I share the ah-ha moment I had this morning, let’s visit this idea of getting to know God by being in relationship with Him. The good news is that this is not rocket science! So even if you haven’t had your coffee today, you’re going to be just fine with this part!
Relationship with God
A relationship with God is just that – it’s a relationship.
I know that he’s invisible and he can’t do the laundry or pick up the kids from school for us, but he does help with other stuff that your carpool friends could never do!
In many ways, a relationship with God is no different from any other relationship you may have with someone you meet during your lifetime (it just carries way more power and consequence). You don’t just meet someone for the first time and then - Boom! You’re in a relationship! That’s not how it works. So, let’s just brainstorm a little…..
Not a relationship:
a person you came in contact with a time or two
an acquaintance
someone you know of but don’t know personally
when someone is in a relationship with someone you know (but not with you)
someone you wish you had a relationship with, but you have never had the time, opportunity or the initiative to make it happen.
a person you know exists, you like them, so you read about them in books or follow them on Instagram, but they don’t know your name. You don’t hang out and you don’t depend on that person (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually) at all.
This person could easily be replaced or forgotten about as soon as something else gets your attention
A relationship:
someone you’ve gotten to know
someone you intentionally spend time with
you take interest in that person, and they take interest in you
you’ve been with this person enough to know the joys and challenges of being together
you both demonstrate a commitment to one another – you value one another and the relationship and push through the hard stuff
you both know what to expect from each other – you’ve learned each other’s behaviors – and sometimes you adjust your behaviors because of what’s best for the relationship
you’ve built trust and that trust is the foundation for being accountable to one another and entrusting each other with more
a meaningful relationship is something that leaves a void if it goes away
Also, have you ever noticed that a genuine relationship with another person not only shows you what that person is like, but through the relationship, you also discover more about yourself?
For example, I considered myself a super laid back and open person, but when I started living with my husband, I realized that I like things done the “right” way (which apparently in my head is “my” way – Who knew?!)
You see, I discovered my husband actually likes doing the dishes and if I didn’t want him to stop, I needed to not care if the ceramic bowls are on the top rack and the plastic Tupperware is on the bottom rack.
At one point, I thought I was going to explode with annoyance and frustration over this! Come on, just do it “right”!!
The minute I would nag, he would stop so that I could do it “my” way. I had to accept that as long as they come out clean, we’re good. And if I lose a few Tupperware containers over the years because of them getting too hot on the bottom rack, so be it. We will be okay!
It seems silly, but I learned a lot about myself through situations like that after getting married. Being in a close relationship with another person will truly showcase your own character – the behind-the-scenes version of you.
Question:
How much does this explanation of a relationship describe to how you interact with God?
Action:
Go back and look over the two lists and see which descriptions sound like your interaction with God. Regardless of where you find yourself, I encourage you to engage faith, spend time with him and put your trust in him! It’s the most important relationship you’ll ever invest in!
Okay….now, on to what I originally came here to write about!
I’m finally going to share the ah-ha moment from this morning – this is when it would be good to go ahead and finish up that coffee. It might not seem earth shattering at first but stick with me and I hope your spiritual eyes are opened like mine just were (or you were already enlightened and I’m just taking 30 years to catch up with the rest of you!)
AH – HA MOMENT!
Being in right relationship with God (the kind mentioned above) is necessary for life itself, AND……
the way you GET TO KNOW GOD really really really well is through…..
OBEYING GOD!
Yep! That’s right….
Keeping His commandments
Keeping his Word
Walking in the same way in which He walked
Following Him when he calls
My friends, doing the will of God is how we really get to know God well.
Oh my gosh….this has gotten me so pumped up! Eeek! I’m so excited!
I don’t know why I never connected the dots that obeying God and getting to know God were related. How is that possible?!?!
I mean….I’ve thought A LOT about obedience over the years! I have written over 100 pages of stories centered around obeying God (or not wanting to obey God and eventually getting over it) and I have a group of “Called to Courage” speaking topics that all focus on my experiences of struggling to obey God, asking God for courage to obey him, and then everything that happens after that. Obedience to God’s ways has been top of my mind for most of my faith journey. How did I miss this detail that obedience is the direct path for getting to know God??
What I’ve understood about obeying God:
I’ve understood that the more you get to know God through reading the Bible and prayer, the more you want to obey Him.
I’ve understood that as a believer, we are called to follow him. Walking according to his will is what I signed up for when I trusted him with my life.
I’ve known that being in a relationship with God meant that I would trust him and walk in his ways. That’s kinda the whole idea of a relationship – trust.
And most importantly, I’ve understood that obeying God is better than obeying Jessica. I trust that God is good and that His ways are better than my ways, so I try to obey Him even when I don’t understand.
Lastly, I know that I’m a mess and my ideas are often wrong. And when left to doing things my way, I quickly figure out that I can’t see one inch in front of my face and I end up utterly disappointed. (Read the account of Adam & Eve or Jonah if you need other examples!) So, again, His ways are better.
All of those truths about obedience are very familiar to me, but this new nugget of truth is just blowing my mind!
New (to me) nugget of truth about obedience:
Going His way (not ours) is HOW we get to KNOW him!
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus accentuates how important relationship and obedience is to him. He tells us how to KNOW him! It’s very simple…..He says that everyone who calls him by name (relationship) and who does the will of his father (obedience) will be recognized by him in heaven. He specifically rejects the idea of doing great works for God as a means to get to know him or to be known by him. In fact, he says that people who try to stand on that foundation will not be recognized by him; he will say, “I never KNEW you”.
Here’s the thing….obeying God means that we don’t know what’s next. We are out of control. We aren’t sure what’s going to happen when we do what God would want us to do versus the way that’s more natural to us. We can’t rationalize the outcome, and we feel vulnerable.
But that’s kinda the point! When we empty ourselves and let go of our control, there’s less of “me” getting in the way and we open ourselves up to more of God. We allow space for God’s presence and power in our lives. And in those moments, we get to see what he’s all about. We get to KNOW him!
1 John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
Um…it doesn’t get much clearer than that! Haha!
Through doing the will of the Father, we get to see his character revealed in new ways, experience his presence in new ways, experience his love and grace in new ways, and we get deeper insight into who he is, how he behaves and how deep his love is for us. My friends, this is genuinely GETTING TO KNOW GOD!
Let me just say this, when I have followed Jessica’s way (not God’s way) is not when I have gotten to know God really well. That’s when I was squandering my time on earth with things that don’t last. That’s when I’ve been so distracted that I forget God is even there. When I’m on “the will of Jessica” plan, there is no “getting to know God” going on.
Now, don’t get me wrong – he rescues you out of the pit! Even when you are going your way and you have fallen victim to your own sin, turn to him! He will come after you to rescue you – he will pick you up and turn you around and place your feet on solid ground. He’s all about that!
But, ultimately, a deep understanding of who he is and what he is like comes from turning to him, following him and obeying his will. Think about the disciples – the only way for them to get to know Jesus was by following him, even when that meant giving up what they were used to and not really knowing what was next. It’s the same way today – we get to know him by following his ways.
In his presence is where you experience his love, grace, provision, peace, and deliverance in miraculous ways that can’t be explained in earthly terms. And little by little, who he is becomes clearer and clearer. And there is no way to not be in AWE!
Whew! He is sooooo great!
And I am so humbled that he even lets us get to know him. Isn’t that wild! I mean, he could just keep who he is to himself. But he chooses to reveal himself to us and show us his character and glory little by little. Until one day, when his full glory will be revealed and then our minds will REALLY be blown away!
Now I KNOW in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully KNOWN. 1 Corinthians 14:12b
Moral of the story:
God is a relationship-oriented God. To get to know God, follow Him.
Next Steps:
Following his commands does not have to be big and dramatic.
Obeying God can be anything that is in accordance with knowing Jesus and following the will of the Father.
For example:
believing in Jesus as the son of God who came to defeat sin and death on your behalf
reading the Bible – the word of God
being honest about something versus covering it up with a lie
praying instead of worrying when a challenge comes your way
loving your neighbor/brother/enemy
exercising discipline or self-control instead of falling into temptation
setting your mind on things above instead of things on earth
speaking kindly to a spouse or a child even when you don’t feel like it
I could go on and on….there are lots of options!
Also, if he is calling you to do something big, that’s cool too! Do it! Obey him! That means that he will show up in big ways! Don’t fear.
Anything you commit to the Lord in accordance with his will and not yours is obedience. God sees all things. He is honored by all obedience, and he doesn’t measure obedience as big and small.
My friends, it is important for you to see what God is like for yourself. Give it a shot. Consider what you could do in your life to trust and obey God.
