S155P9 – Certainty in an uncertain world: we will know him
1 Cor. 2:11-13
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
I recently spoke with someone who was telling me about a movie she thought I should see. As she began describing the film, she named the actor who stars in it. The curious thing was that she named him by his first name only as if she knew him personally, and I made a comment about that. She expected me to know who she was speaking of just by his first name, which I did. However, neither one of us really knows this man. In fact, most people who know him do not know him. They only know of him. They can read articles and watch interviews about him, but their knowledge of him will be very shallow. To know him by name is not necessarily to know him.
We are limited in many ways by our imperfection. We can understand only so much with these finite minds, and our spiritual separation from God affects our ability to understand him. We can come to know him only because He intervenes and helps us to overcome these limitations. He draws us forth by his Spirit and shows us himself through that Spirit once that spiritual separation is bridged. I will not know everything there is to know about the Lord during my life in this world, but I will learn much more than I could know without his revelation. It is amazing that I can understand anything about his character or know anything about his thoughts at all, but his grace in this regard does not end there.
God gives us the ability to share with one another the revelations we receive about him. Those who carry his Spirit can effectively communicate what they know about him to other believers. By his Spirit we pass on to each other revelation of things which should be beyond us, and that is incredible. Those who love the Lord and are part of his kingdom have the blessing of being able to know him not just by name but to really know him. If you carry the Spirit of God, you can know and understand him perhaps beyond what you expect. Father, thank You for making your character and your thoughts available to us, and give us a fresh revelation of your ways and secrets.