Mar 22 - "Knowing God"

John 8:47-59
"Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word."
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Jesus was certainly a radical. There are many times throughout the Bible where we find Jesus talking with the "leaders" of His time, making statements which turned their world upside down. It is so fun to witness Him systematically take their beliefs and break them down, showing them in a very clear way (at least to us) the falsity of the worlds they had built up.

The statements Jesus makes about knowing God would probably be just as radical today. Can each of us say that we "know" God? It that OK to do? By saying it, are we professing to understand His ways, have insight into how His plan works in the world? Are we also making a radical statement, assuming to be in touch with God's very nature? There are some who may think this. They may look at this part of the Gospel and say, "It's OK for Jesus to say He knows God, because He is God. For us to say it, is blasphemy, for we are not Jesus."

I would say, it's OK for each of us to say we know God. But what does it mean to know God?

When we say we know a friend of ours, for example, what are we saying? I'll use the example of best friend, my wife, Greta. By saying "I know" her, I am saying a few things. I'm saying: I recognize her when I see her; I have a good idea of how she will respond in certain situations; I know things I can do to make her happy (and sad, and angry), and; I know that the love I feel for her is as great as the love she feels for me. But more importantly, the more I think I know her, the more I realize I need to be open to the ways her beauty unfolds to me in new ways every day. Knowing someone is just the foundation; a relationship; an important step to being aware of what you don't know and what you will learn about this person over time.

When I say, "I know God", I believe I am saying that I recognize Him in the beauty of a sunrise; I have a good idea that when I hold one of my children lovingly in my arms, He is there and smiling, and; I know that the love I feel for Him is a small taste of the infinite expanse of the love He feels for me. But, my knowing God grows as He continues to allow me to see new evidence of His work in the world every day.

So today, say it out loud; "I know God". Say it in a way that is not boastful or assuming that we are equal with God. Say it with the awareness that by knowing Him, we are in relationship with Him. And, by being in relationship with Him, we have the joy of experiencing Him in new ways every day!