Does God Want You to Know Him?
Or would He rather you be kept in the dark about His nature?
I always pay close attention to the first line of any book I read.
One of the books I got for my birthday is Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw. For those who don’t know, Andrew Carnegie was one of the world’s wealthiest men during the late 1800s and early 1900s. His fortune came from his business in iron and steel.
I found the first line of Andrew Carnegie interesting.
We thought we knew him, but we didn’t. And that was how he wished it.
After reading this line, my thoughts turn to our understanding of God. Could it be said of many of us that “we thought we knew Him, but we didn’t?”
Perhaps an even more serious question - is that how God "wished it?”
Did we know Him?
Even though many may have thought they knew God - many did not truly know Him.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. (John 1:10-11)
This passage speaks of the Word - of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The world should have known the Creator (John 1:3-4), but we did not know Him. Jesus came to His own people - referring to the Jewish people - but they rejected Him.
Although many should know Him - sadly, many do not.
Does God want us to know Him?
Is God content with people not knowing Him? Does He even care?
The fact is that Jesus came into the world to explain God fully.
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:18)
The phrase “He has declared Him” means to “exegete” or “to unfold and explain in detail.”
God wants people to know Him and His great love for all people.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)
While some people might not want others to know them as they truly are - the same cannot be said of God.
God has made tremendous sacrifices so that we might come to know Him as He truly is. And so that we might one day see Him “face to face” as He truly is (Revelation 22:4).
God wants you to know Him. He invites you to come and learn of Him. You will not be disappointed by what you find.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)