How Can I Know God?

Knowing God may be simple at the first glance. We can always say that we know God. We know that He is our Creator. We know that He is our provider. He is our healer. He is our peace. He is our Father and so on. I have known God since I was a child. I grew up in a God-serving family. But you know, I just know Him just here in my mind. So when I grew up, I started accepting what the world offers to me, I learned to disobey the counsel of my parents and my grandparents, I learned many things, bad things, like drinking, smoking and even taking illegal smokes and drugs. So God, in His appointed time cornered me in a situation wherein I almost lost all the efforts and achievements I had so far. I was nearly discharged because of these things. I was depressed. I was thinking of putting an end to my life because of shame. But God made Himself known to me.
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Is it possible to know God?

Knowing God may be simple at the first glance. We can always say that we know God. We know that He is our Creator. We know that He is our provider. He is our healer. He is our peace. He is our Father and so on.

Maybe...

It’s always easy to say these things, but do we really know Him? Maybe knowing Him is something beyond what we are currently thinking right now.

For example, are you sure that you really know the people watching with you tonight? Even if you’re friends already for many years, you can still be surprised. So what’s more on knowing God’s character. Maybe our lifetime is not enough to fully grasp who He is.

People in the old days, I mean in the time of the Old Testament they were having a hard time in knowing God, unless they saw a miracle.

And nowadays we barely see parting seas, or people that can walk inside a burning furnace.

John 1:1, 14, 18 (NLT)

1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

If we would read the whole context of chapter one of the book of John, we can know that the “Word” that Apostle John pertaining to is Jesus Christ. As it was said in verse 14, God Himself became human in the life of Jesus Christ and made his home among us.

God Made A Way

God made a way for us to really know Him. From heaven he made Himself known to us in the life of Jesus Christ. As it was also said in verse 18, no one has ever seen God but Jesus revealed God to us.

So in this passage we can say that through Jesus Christ we can know God. And not just that! As we come to know God, we can also experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

In the life of Jesus, we realized that we are not in a good relationship with God because of our sins which separate us from the Father.

Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

In Him, we also know that it doesn’t end there, we know that God wants us back to Him.

In Him,  we know that He loves us so much when He let Jesus die for our sins, and just by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, all of our sins are forgiven and  we can be reconciled with Him.

Testimony:

So for you to understand easier what I’m saying, may I share where I started to really know God? I started to know Him when I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. (John 1:12)

I have known God since I was a child. I grew up in a God-serving family. But you know, I just know Him just here in my mind. So when I grew up, I started accepting what the world offers to me, I learned to disobey the counsel of my parents and my grandparents, I learned many things, bad things, like drinking, smoking and even taking illegal smokes and drugs. So God, in His appointed time cornered me in a situation wherein I almost lost all the efforts and achievements I had so far. I was nearly discharged because of these things. I was depressed. I was thinking of putting an end to my life because of shame. But God made Himself known to me. His will took me in an event, called “Grace Encounter” and there I personally met Him, it was revealed to me that there is a new life in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17 (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!), right there and then I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. And I praise God for the new hope He gave to me.  And right now I’m here sharing to you my testimony. That in Christ  there’s new life. In Him you can know God more and more and experience His love and great plan for your life.

I remembered one illustration that Pastor Yun gave to me, it’s about God who is always reaching out for us, but He seems always far away even though we know that He is omnipresent. Sometimes he is showing himself to some people like a burning bush or sometimes he sends an angel. But we still can’t hear His message clearly, so we keep on doing things in our own way that worsens our relationship with Him.

But in order for us to hear His message loud and clear, He made a way to reveal Himself to us and a way to save us. He came down from Heaven to Earth in the life of Jesus Christ.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV

To end my devotion, let’s go back to our questions awhile ago, “How Can I Know God?” “Is it possible to know God?”

And the answer is through Jesus Christ we can know God, in John 1:18 said since no one has ever seen God, Jesus lived 2000 years ago to reveal God to us and in Hebrews it was said that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.

And God, doesn’t want us to know Him only but to also experience His love and plans for our lives.

It says in,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Maybe some of you here already received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you know someone that needs this message tonight or tomorrow, why not share it with them.

Or  maybe there are some people here watching this online devotion who haven’t yet had a relationship with God. And you want to know Him and experience His love and plan for your life, why don’t you pray this prayer with me.

John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

Prayer:

Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross and in three days you rose again to rescue me from my sin and death and reconcile me to the Father. I choose now to turn from my sins and every part of my life that does not please you. I receive your forgiveness and ask you to be my Savior and Lord. Live in me Jesus. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.