Known
Today, we’re kicking off a new devotional series to prepare for our launch of the Grace & Freedom Project this fall!* Each week, we’ll highlight a different word (one of our new “grace” names) and a Scripture verse. We invite you to immerse yourself in God’s grace alongside us over the next few months!
*More details on the Grace & Freedom Project coming soon.
One Sunday, after a busy morning of teaching, serving, and ministering, I was headed to my car when my phone rang. A voice I didn’t recognize on the other end of the line said, “Pastor Dan!”
From his tone, I could tell he wasn’t happy. So, I answered, “Yes, this is he.”
He promptly launched into a tirade about the teenagers’ mischief. I was the youth pastor, so it made sense that he would call me. This time, they had locked all the bathroom stalls (which may have contributed to his intensity).
I calmly asked him to tell me which bathroom it was so that I could take care of the problem. When he told me, I didn’t recognize it, so I asked for a little more detail. He tried describing it to me, but the description simply didn’t match any bathrooms or ‘landmarks’ I recognized in our church facility.
He grew increasingly frustrated with me which only set the stage for my next question.
“Sir,” I said, “Can you tell me your name? I’m not sure I know who you are.”
From his reaction, you’d have thought I insulted his mother! Apparently, he had been a deacon in his church for a very, very long time, and he was under the impression that I was his Pastor Dan.
It took us a few minutes, but we eventually sorted out the reason I didn’t recognize his voice. One of our church members had given his old cell phone to his father-in-law, and my phone number was still in the contacts as “Pastor Dan.” Naturally, when this long-time deacon needed to call his Pastor (conveniently also named Dan) to complain about the teenagers acting like teenagers, he called me.
Our miscommunication and frustration occurred because I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me!
Clearly, it makes a huge difference in your relationships when you know one another.
Psalm 139:1 says that the Lord knows us. In fact, it says He has searched us and knows us. This means that He is intimately acquainted with us, down to our deepest thoughts and motivations.
The psalmist continued on, describing how well the Lord knows you and me. “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:2-4, ESV)
In 2 Timothy 2:19, the Apostle Paul says, “God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (ESV)
Paul’s quote comes from Numbers 16 in which we read about some Hebrew men leading a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, God’s chosen instruments for the delivery of His people from slavery to the Egyptians. Moses didn’t get defensive but trusted the Lord. He bowed and said, “In the morning, the Lord will show that He knows those who are His and who is holy.” (Num. 16:5) In this story (feel free to go back and read it!), there were severe consequences for the sinfully rebellious people.
The prophet Nahum reiterated this truth in his prophecy. “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries.” (1:7-8a, ESV)
When we know that God knows us intimately, we can go to Him with our deepest pains, faults, and failures – yes, even sins! He already knows it all. And, as believers in Christ, we have already gone from enemies of God to His beloved children (see Romans 5:8-10).
We don’t have to (and can’t!) hide or pretend that we have it all together. We don’t have to ‘clean up our act’ before running to the Lord for wisdom and help. We can go to the Lord for His help in this growth process because He has chosen us, and we are presentable in His sight.
He knows… because He knows each of us intimately.
Dear Saints, Jesus himself said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:14, ESV). You can go to Him with your deepest thoughts, struggles, needs, and desires. He already knows them anyway.
And I guarantee: the conversation with your Father God will go far better than my conversation with Deacon Cranky because it will begin from the foundation of being known.