Firsthand Knowledge

Then Job said to the Lord, I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.

[You said to me] Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge? Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know...

I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

Job 42:1-3,5 (AMP)

If there is one prayer I repeat daily for my children, it is this.  I want them to KNOW God.  I want them to have firsthand knowledge of Him.   I don’t want them to rely on others’ experiences with God but to have their own encounters.  Encountering the Living God changes a person.  It changed me.  I grew up hearing about Him, but it was years before I encountered Him in a personal way and I was never the same.  I want that for my children.  I love that I can teach them about God and create an atmosphere in my home that is conducive to hosting God’s presence (though sometimes I fall short of such).  But ultimately, I want them to encounter Him in a personal way.  I want the King of Kings to pursue them the way He did me and I want them to recognize Him.  (Preferably quicker than I did!)  

“I had heard of You only by the hearing of the ear, but now my spiritual eye sees You.”  I just love that verse.  I love the revelation behind those words.  I love the discovery.  The other day my younger two kids were experimenting with a mining kit.  It comes with a plaster rock that contains pieces of quartz inside.  They sat outside and used little brushes and tools to uncover the quartz pieces hidden within.  It was so fun for them (and for me to watch them).  As I think about it now, it reminds me of the discovery in Job’s words.  Job saw God in a way he had not recognized before.  And this discovery - this revelation - caused Job to grow very humble.  He realized his lack of understanding and his limited view of the Holy, Great God, and he repented.  

Funny thing about repentance.  I believe it helps greatly if we believe God casts our sins ‘as far as the east is from the west’.  If we don’t believe that He’s willing to forgive, it will be hard to let go of the guilt and shame we feel.  Then we continue to walk around still in chains.  Believing God is made easier as we get to know Him, ponder His word, and spend time in His presence.  I thank God for the Holy Spirit teaching us and revealing things to us.  I thank God for His deep well of mercy!  Once forgiveness occurs, He begins to restore.  In Job’s story, God begins to restore to Job his health, his wealth, and relationship with God and others.  He accepts and answers Job’s prayers and doubly blesses what he had originally.   

We don’t repent to get blessed.  We repent because we have been introduced to God and have grown to love Him.  We don’t want to hurt His heart.  We want to be in an intimate relationship with Him and for nothing to come between us.  And perhaps we even fear Him a little.  After all, He is HOLY and OMNISCIENT and OMNIPOTENT and RIGHTEOUS.  And we are not.  The only way we can be righteous is by Jesus.  Huge sigh of relief that Jesus did what He did for us!  He is willing to forgive us and accept us.  Such love...

My heart desires that we will all see Him with our spiritual eyes and not just hear of Him.  We need to look for Him, listen for Him, and reach for Him.  We need to believe He’s there and we need to open our hearts to the idea of encountering Him in a tangible way.  Never do I want to settle for second-hand knowledge!  And I believe He would desire the same for each of us.  He wants to blow our minds with “high and lofty” revelation.  He wants to touch our face and hold us when we feel alone.  He wants to dance with us.  Laugh with us.  Just be with us.

And so I will continue to pray for my little loves to encounter this UNMATCHED God of LOVE.  And I will continue to pray for my own new encounters that are awaiting me.  There’s always more with God, right?!