October 15 -- "Really Knowing God"

Today’s Reading: Psalm 120 & 140 

"Really Knowing God"

When you get to know someone – really know them – you can anticipate how they will act in various situations.  You only know someone if he or she actively shares information with you, particularly intimate, private information. You may know certain things “about” someone, like their name, where they live, where they work, etc.  You may even know some things about them like their favorite movie, or where they like to shop, or their favorite sports team.  Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter may help you know “about” someone from the things they post.  But do you really know them?  Do you know their innermost character and “what makes them tick?”  Probably not.

To really “know” someone, you need to spend time with them and they need to share personal inside information with you. They need to “open up” to you and let you know the feelings and attitudes and viewpoints that can’t really be seen from a social media post.  As you get to know them, you can begin to anticipate the decisions they will make and the causes they support. In many cases, you can predict their next move.

I once had a very close friend who was accused of doing something hurtful to another person. Others around him began to charge him and accuse him. But I knew this friend, and based on my personal knowledge of him, I was certain that he could not have done what he was accused of.  I knew what “made him tick,” and there’s no way he could be guilty of the things they accused him of.  It turned out that I was right.  After the truth came out, my friend was completely exonerated. I was not surprised because I knew that he couldn’t have done what they said.

David knew God.  He didn’t just know about Him. He had spent time with God, sitting in His presence and, as a result, David knew what God was like, and could anticipate what He would do. You could say that David knew the Lord’s innermost character and had personal knowledge of the things He would – or would not – do.

In today’s key verse (Psalm 140:12), David said, “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and will exercise justice for the needy.”  How did David “know” this?  Because he had spent time getting to know God and what He is like.  He connected with the Lord in such a way that he could anticipate how He would act in certain situations. Even if someone accused the Lord of wrongdoing, David had intimate knowledge of God’s innermost character and “knew” that those things could not be true.

This is one of joys of becoming intimate with the Lord. When He befriends you and begins to share His private, intimate, innermost character with you, you can anticipate how He will act in your life. You can life a life of confidence and trust and, like David, be able to say, “I know that the Lord will…”