The reason I said ‘your’ is because we all seem to interpret God slightly differently – according to our experience. I suspect I should also be asking “…what does He do?” It is vitally important that we know Who God is and what He does. I’m not asking a rhetorical question but I am defining God as the only God – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of the Old and New Testaments. However, how we understand Him varies from person to person based on our experiences and what we’ve been told or learned. One clue: sometimes our ‘experiences’ aren’t interpreted correctly.
For some people God is an austere, disciplinarian figure who is always saying ‘no’ to our needs and responding to us harshly and unforgiving, especially when we make ‘wrong’ decisions. For others, He is a talisman to ward off problems. For others, He is the source as a gooey, ‘sugar daddy’ who is suppose to give us all that we want – name it and claim it. None of these persona’s is correct. God is a holy God who is also Father, and who has chosen to make us sons and daughters of inheritance and inhabitants of heaven. Plus He has not left us alone, He has chosen to partner with us during our time. And He is love.
Who God is for each of us is partially based on how much time we spend with Him. Do you enjoy an intimate relationship or do you keep God at arms length? Do you take the time to learn more about Him or do you think you know Him? I have always found it incredible that He allows us to determine the closeness of the relationship. But the only way to develop a relationship is to spend time with them. Talking with Him as you go through your day is one way. It may seem strange but as you take the time to talk you’ll also discover you begin listening too.
Obviously there are other ways to discover who God is. Reading His word shows the breadth and depth of how God interacts in people’s lives. He still does. He is not a ‘there and then’ but He is a ‘here and now’ God. Praying also is another form of communicating with Him. He really isn’t into the Thee’s and Thou’s, praying is basically simple conversation, letting God know what it is you need and want but letting Him know you trust Him to be your provider, your healer – He is more than enough.
