But Do You Know Him- Who He Really Is?
How well do you know God? We taught our children about Jesus, we read the stories, we talked about how we should live, but did we take the time to guide them in understanding who He is in His character and nature?
The nature and character of God can be a bit abstract and more difficult to grasp. It’s more than God parting the Red Sea, it’s the ‘why’ behind that action. And ‘why’ becomes a question we ask more and more, especially when life gets difficult. Knowing God is vital to a deep, abiding faith. If we can’t answer the ‘why’, we risk doubting, wavering, and wandering. We need to know more than, “because He’s God”.
It’s important that we encourage our sons and daughters to know God for Who He is, to know His character, understand His attributes, and not just His accomplishments. We need to understand that God’s responses to us, how He orchestrates people and circumstances, and how He protects, provides, and sustains us are all rooted in His character and His plan. If we begin to grasp those aspects of Him, we begin to understand that His intervention is not random, His decisions are not whimsical, His direction is not unclear. God’s character and nature are the very root of what He chooses to do and why.
When we truly begin to understand the character and nature of God, it enables us to see our struggles and circumstances through our understanding of God, rather than develop our understanding of God through the lens of our circumstances and struggles. It makes a difference!
So, how do we need to encourage our sons and daughters?
God is sovereign. He is the Supreme Authority. He needs permission from no other and His power and authority are unrivaled. His plan encompasses all eternity. There is nothing that is out of His control.
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
How would believing God’s sovereignty change how we view our circumstances?
2. God’s wisdom is not measured by the complexity of our problems. It is ageless and eternal.
“No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:7-10
Believing God’s wisdom is superior to worldly wisdom changes how and from whom we seek guidance and answers. When we believe and trust God is the source of all wisdom, we won’t look anywhere else.
3. His power is not measured by the intensity of the battle nor the army assembled against us, nor his strength by the enemy who stands before us.
"Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17
When we know and believe that God’s power is supernatural and unstoppable, it reframes how we look at challenges and suffering. Nothing can happen to us that is outside of His will. He possesses all we need for life and godliness. He is our strong tower we can run to for safety (Prov. 18:10).
4. God’s goodness is not determined by the events, situations, and people we endure and encounter.
No one is good but One, that is, God. Mark 10:18
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8
God always was, is and will be good. Sin brought pain, suffering, hate, disease, and the list goes on. But God’s goodness is not changed or diminished by the presence of sin. His goodness exists in spite of sin. We are all recipients of God’s grace, daily. The common grace that is shown to all men by the fact that we live and breathe. His goodness is available to all. If we understand God’s goodness, we get a better grasp of His eternal plan, our unworthiness, and of how very blessed we are that we can be loved and accepted by Him through Jesus.
5. God’s love is eternal, boundless, and surpasses our ability to fathom and understand. What would life look like if we accepted and embraced the love of God?!
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35, 38-39
To be fully known and fully loved is what we long for most of all. God’s love brings contentment, purpose, and security. It is perfect and it is eternal. No human relationship can provide such assurance. No other system of religion can deliver this all-encompassing, eternal love that survives, and thrives, through anything this life throws at us.
This list is by no means comprehensive. It’s just scratching the surface of Who God is. We can never fully understand, but, by faith, we can trust and believe! It’s a place to start where we can encourage and guide our sons and daughters into a deeper understanding of Who God is and a more confident assurance of the ‘why’.
Knowing God enables us to believe He is Who He says He is and trust that He will do what He promises. His promises are eternal, unchanging, and irrevocable. The assurance we gain by knowing His character and nature cannot be shaken.
It is important that our sons and daughters know God. Because as believers, He is being formed in us! God’s character is shaped in us as believers, because His Spirit is in us. He is continually making us more like Him. We are being transformed! Yet, what is transforming us? Is it our circumstances and blessings or is it the nature and character of God? Friends, when we know God, we know that our circumstances and suffering all have a purpose to make us more like Him. It is the eternal perspective that gives us strength, faith, and confidence to continue.
Let’s pray that we can encourage our sons and daughters in this, and that we can grow in a deeper understanding of God as we do.
“Father, help us to know you more. Reveal Yourself to (name) today. Open their eyes to see Your nature, Your character, and Your eternal attributes. Build their faith so that when suffering comes (and it will) they will be fully equipped to walk faithfully with unwavering confidence in You and Your plan. Jesus, Your sacrifice on the cross and Your resurrection from the dead give us a hope that is anchored in Who You are and what You accomplished. I pray that (name) would begin to learn the deeper precepts and see that everything is rooted in Your eternal nature and Your plan, set in motion before the foundation of the world. Lord, if there is someone who doesn’t know You, I pray that You would open their eyes. Holy Spirit, stir their heart to recognize Jesus as the living Lord and Savior, the only wise God, the true and living Authority and Sovereign Lord. The days are growing darker and we need Jesus. Help us to recognize that need and live in light of what You promise is coming. Help us to choose wisely, to speak carefully yet boldly, and to live like this life is temporary and our eternity with You is what we value most. As Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give (name) the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” I pray this in Jesus’s name, amen.”