Charlie was a good friend of mine. He was on the church council, so we worked together there. Our wives got along and our kids were about the same age, so we spent time together as families. And we had a lot in common, so we became good friends. One time I was trying to make a joke about something. I don’t remember what I said, but I noticed Charlie wasn’t laughing. Then it occurred to me… because of something Charlie was going through in his life, my joke hit a little too close to home. I realized it could have made him angry. Immediately I said, “I apologize, Charlie; that was thoughtless of me, and you have every right to be irritated.” And Charlie said, “Don’t worry about it. I know you would never intentionally say anything to hurt me. We all say stupid things. Forget it.” And the conversation continued on as before.
Charlie immediately gave me the benefit of the doubt and was not angry, because he knew me. When I said something stupid and hurtful, he did not right away think the worst of me. Rather, he overlooked it. I would have done the same for him. We were friends.
Did you ever say the wrong thing to someone and regret it? What happened? Well, it depends on who you said it to, doesn’t it? If it was someone you knew well and with whom you had a good relationship, it probably went okay, like for Charlie and me. But if it was someone you did not get along with, or did not know very well, it might well have been taken as an insult, even if you did not intend it to be mean or insulting.
Psalm 36:10 is addressed to God and says, “Continue your love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright in heart.” To those who know you, it says. Philippians 3:10 says, “I want to know Christ.”
Do you know God; God who revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ? What does it mean to know God? How does that work? We can pray to Jesus, but it is a pretty one-sided conversation. I can’t get to know Jesus in exactly the same way I got to be friends with Charlie.
However, even though the relationship is not the same as with another person, our relationship with Jesus does not have to be only one-sided. We can talk to Jesus in our prayers, one-sided as they are; and God speaks to us in His Word. Knowing God means knowing something about God, and we can learn all kinds of things about God in the Bible. But that happens only if we are listening to that side of the conversation by spending time with the Bible– just like good friends spend time together.
Our relationship with God will be tested, just like any relationship is tested. My friendship with Charlie was tested when I said something stupid. Charlie knew me, so he knew how to take my remark. So, think about it. God, we believe, is all-powerful, and God should be able to do for me whatever I need done. So, if God doesn’t come through for me, the relationship faces a test. “Why me, God? Why didn’t you help me, Lord? Why don’t you answer my prayers?” etc. We know God is all powerful, but there are other things we also need to know about God. And the more we know about God and how He deals with us, the more we will trust God, and the more able our relationship with God will be able to handle these tests. The Psalmist encourages us to know God because if we don’t know God very well, we might immediately think the worst of God when there is something we don’t understand.
On July 30, 1967, seventeen-year-old Joni Eareckson broke her neck in a diving accident. She has been paralyzed from the shoulders down ever since. She first went into a deep depression, and begged her friends to help her commit suicide. She was filled with anger toward God. Her faith was not handling the test. This lasted a long time. Friends did not help her kill herself, but they did help her get back in touch with Jesus. And as Joni got to know Jesus better, she began to understand him and his ways, and trust him; and, she found a reason to live. She has spent the past fifty-nine years getting to know Jesus, and, telling others about Jesus; and the hope, joy, and peace of mind that he offers. She became a painter (holding the brush in her mouth), an author, a radio host, and an international speaker. For the past several years, she has lived with constant pain from a variety of ailments, and has had a couple miserable bouts with cancer. But her close friendship with Jesus allows her to face each day with joy, confidence, and hope. “I will be healed, and I will be pain free, and I will walk again,” she says cheerfully, “I am just experiencing a sixty-year delay.” Her relationship with God was tested, and she was able to endure such hardship because she got to know Jesus better. (continued…)
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Psalm 36:10 — Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psalm 46:10 — He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Matthew 22:29 — Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”
Philippians 3:7-8a…10a — Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… I want to know Christ.
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Oh God, help us to not despise what we do not understand. –William Penn
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