“I want to know Christ…” –Philippians 3:10
Beth Moore says, “Our prayers become more powerful when we are better acquainted with God’s personality, His promises, and His practices.” As we begin to reflect on the reality of what we believe, it is important to consider what our beliefs are based upon.
Many years ago, when I was only twelve, I was invited to go to a beach house with some of my friends who were about sixteen years old at the time (I started school a tad early, so I was younger than most of my mates). Because I did not want to seem ‘uncool,’ I told them that I had to check to make sure I did not already have other plans and get back to them. As I walked home from school, I began to think about different excuses I could give my friends for not being able to go because I knew that my parents would absolutely say no. Based on the experiences of my older siblings, I was very well acquainted with the things my parents would approve of and those that they would disprove. I knew that they would not let me go because I was a lot younger and, contrary to what I believed, not as mature as my mates. My mother heard me tell stories everyday of the crazy things that high school kids did, and she constantly warned me about being careful and choosing my friends wisely so that I did not get negatively influenced. Knowing all of these, I went home and told my mum about the trip, and her response to me was, “Did you tell them no?” I smiled and said, “I already knew you were going to say that, but I’ll tell them tomorrow.” So mum told me exactly what to say, and I broke the news to my friends, and simply went back to being the young one that never did anything but study.
So what was the point of my rambling about my high school days? I have no idea! I am wondering the same thing myself! Okay just kidding. Before I told my mother about the trip, I already knew what her response was going to be because I KNEW her. I spent almost everyday of my life getting to know my parents, what they liked and did not like, what made them happy, what made them angry, what they wanted for me, how they responded to different situations with different people in the past, etc. If my mother had allowed me to go on the trip, I would have been very surprised because it would have been out of character and contradictory to what I knew about her. This same notion is true of the Lord and His relationship with some of the people we read about throughtout Scripture.
True belief in a person is born out of knowledge. If we do not truly know God, the reality of what we believe about Him will probably be erratic. Throughout the Psalms, David came boldly before God in prayer because He knew God and His prayers were often supported by phrases such as, “you rebuke and discipline men for their sins,” “You do not delight in sacrifice…The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart,” “for great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the sky,” “He did…He sent…He turned…He gave…He always…He prepared…He struck…He guided…He brought…He delivered….He healed….He made…He chose…He never…”
How well do you know God? I assure you that the better you know Him, the stronger and more unswerving your belief in Him will be. The better you know Him, the better you will understand His will for your life. The better you know Him, the better you can discern His voice amongst all the other voices you hear. The better you know Him, the better your prayer life will be. The better you know Him, the bolder your faith will be. I dare you to get to know better beginning today!
Feast on Scripture, read books about what He has done in the lives of others, write down and revisit your experiences with Him, and continue to try to talk to Him as a man to a friend until it comes naturally to you. Christ died to make it possible for us to once again share an intimate relationship with God like Abraham, Moses, David, etc. Let the pursuit of that type of relationship become a driving force in your life!
Grace and peace be with you.
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THE SUBSTANCE OF WHAT WE BELIEVE