Do You Know God Well Enough to Trust Him?

I had grown tired of the long faces. For the past several weeks, every Monday morning would find my children grudgingly showing up for school. I decided to do something about it. 

I was going to take back Monday. Reclaim it. Re-name it. Rekindle the joy of learning in my children.

So, as they trudged down the stairs, I greeted them with the news, "Today, we are going to do something different!" 

They had gotten used to knowing exactly what to expect each day. Their daily assignment lists were usually written in their spiral notebooks, and following our morning time together, each would focus on his or her list. For the most part, it had been working like a charm, they thrived on it. But this morning, I had not filled out their lists; we were going to do something different. 

This morning, we were going to be a bit more free-spirited. We would work together on a project as a family, have some fun along the way, refine our vision for our goals and dive into God's word. They simply had to follow my lead and do as I say.

I thought they would be happy, over-the-top, no more dreary Monday.

But, they were noticeably uncomfortable. 

"What are we going to do?" 

"Can you just tell us what all we have to do first?" 

"What comes next?" 

"When will we finish?" my daughter asked anxiously.

The questions kept coming. 

Without any clear vision for the day... they just weren't sure... this day could go very well or it just might turn out badly. 

I held her concerned little face in my hands, looked deep in her eyes, and said, "You just have to trust me. I won't give you more than you can do. You'll see. It'll all work out fine."

And then it dawned on me. 

Isn't that the way I respond to God? ...we respond to God?

We want everything laid out nicely for us. 

No fuss from us, as long as we like what is coming up next. But, when we aren't sure we like where He is leading, well... we get a little antsy. Nervous. Worried. 

Then, we start to question Him. 

"How long, God?" 

"When, my Lord?" 

"Are you sure, God?" 

I mean... who could blame us? Who would be happy walking in the dark? 

As I peered into my daughter's eyes, her anxiety melted away as she chose to trust me, and I smiled at the way God uses my everyday circumstances to mold my heart and remind me of His great truths. 

My daughter chose to trust me because she knows me. I wouldn't expect her to trust a stranger or... someone she barely knows. 

I think as she looked up at my face, she remembered. She remembered who I was and all that I had been to her. Her trust in me was based on all that she knew about me. 

So, even though she had questions, she knew enough... knew me well enough to know that I would always guide, protect and seek the very best for her. She was convinced of my love for her... even when I pushed her to do hard things. She. Knew. Me.

And so it begs the question, 'How well do I... do you... do we know God? 

When you have questions... questions that perhaps cause you to doubt, fear or worry, what comes to your mind when you remember God? 

'What comes into a man's mind when he thinks about God, is the most important thing about a man'.  Knowledge of the Holy-A.W. Tozer 

Do we really believe that He wants the 'best' for us?

God...'a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth'... is it even possible to know GOD ....like my daughter knows me?

Here's the sweet, soul-satisfying answer... God desires a close, personal relationship with us and reveals Himself to us through His creation, His word and His Son.

They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:19-20)

All Scripture is God-breathed... (2 Timothy 3:16a) 

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2) 

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. (John 17:3) 

"But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29) 

Pause a moment and think about it... God, the Creator, so wonderfully complex; His ways and thoughts infinitely higher than ours, yet He desires for us to know Him intimately and 'confides in those who fear Him' (Psalm 25:14).

But, have we settled for a cursory knowledge of God? Or are we so familiar with Him that we trust him like my daughter trusts me?  

Is that innocent, childlike trust displayed in our lives?

A trust that fills us with peace... God's peace, that goes far beyond anything we can imagine and assuages our questions, doubts and fears. A trust that sustains us through the 'hard' times.

How well do you know God? God makes it possible for us to know Him. Now, it's up to you. 

What do you choose today? 

To accept a limited man-sized view of God? Focusing on only one or two of His innumerable attributes?

Or to embrace the God-designed invitation to 'plunge... in the Godhead's deepest sea'... to be 'lost in his immensity'?  

I choose to know God more. I don't think I could ever know too much! And God promises that I shall 'come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated' and filled with childlike trust. 

What about you?

What steps are you willing to take to grow in your knowledge of God?

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Do You Know God Well Enough to Trust Him?