KNOWING God is different compared to knowing about him. “Knowledge” can get in the way. But to have a relationship with the divine, we must know him.
Many are cautious about what religionists say. Especially that many are motivated by empire building and profiteering through religion. We can believe them, but with a grain of salt.
I want to understand this concept by having a researcher’s mind—one of a layperson rather than of a theologian. This is because such learned people can easily make the Infinite Being a mere creation of their own minds.
I base this stand on a leader’s assertion that we should know God despite/beyond/outside the oversimplification, domestication, tailor-suiting, franchising/owning and self-appropriation of religions.
Knowing the Infinite Being starts with a seeking heart. It starts with a simple prayer asking to know him.
Knowing the divine requires knowing how he thinks, acts and feels. We can also know God if we read and mediate the Bible.
The Bible is not merely a repository of classic literature. It is also a supernatural book that has a supernatural element with it.
Our recent translations of the original texts of the Scriptures are not really 100 percent accurate, even the so-called King James Version. Ask a Hebrew believer and he can tell you of the flaws. Regardless of translational flaws, however, the different versions of Scriptures can benefit laypeople like us to know the divine.
The more we read and meditate the Scriptures, the more we know God. We discover that his revelation to man is progressive. It changes over time. For instance, the Old Testament emphasizes laws and commands as bases of attaining righteousness. It is the foreshadow of the New Testament. With the new covenant in the New Testament, the main idea is righteousness by faith in Christ, the “lamb of God” –the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the basis of triumphing over the enemies of our soul.
Religiosity is not the same as righteousness. We become righteous if we follow the greatest commandments of loving God with all our strength and mind and loving others as ourselves. It also entails being circumspect with our actions and words.
Other than these are human inventions that we should evaluate carefully lest we get phony versions of the real thing. We can end up spiritual paupers by default through “human” schemes in order to please the divine.
Biblical knowledge is important in knowing the divine, but it should not limit us. I say this because God deals with individuals differently in various circumstances. We need the Holy Spirit. In certain situations, God through the Spirit gives specific directions and warnings through dreams and visions. Several times, I have experienced these.
For instance, a month before the Covid-19 outbreak, I already received warning through an unusual dream. I saw a ravaging flood coming about twenty to thirty feet high, destroying everything on its way. This was a great flood submerging trees. It looked like things will never be the same. I was surprised the water stopped through a wall of invisible glass as it was about to engulf me and my companions, similar to the story of crossing the Red Sea. I understood what it meant—that God spare me from the virus.
God is gracious. It was a privileged revelation.
The more we walk with God, the more he reveals his mind to us. The dream seems to show me. We know this by the Spirit.
Let me share another encounter. When the pandemic just started, the thought of hardships perplexed me. I remember praying in my room. During the night, I had another dream of seeing people supernaturally receiving their daily necessities, like food and water. Their necessities seem to spring from unexpected sources around them.
When I woke up, I understood supernatural provisions come to people around me. That relieved me a lot.
My experiences tell me that knowing God is not some kind of esoteric knowledge. It happens to ordinary children and adults. It does not require lofty studies or complicated rituals because these are just frail human attempts.
God already came in human flesh so we can know him. So let us all get the benefits of knowing God.
