Knowing God Better: Understanding The Unfathomable-Part 1
To write a series on knowing God is a lofty undertaking indeed. How does one approach a subject that is, by its very nature, unfathomable? Yet, the desire to know God runs as deep in the believer's heart as the longing of someone who has never known their parents and yearns to discover their origins. That connection provides a sense of identity and gives roots that bring stability. How much more does knowing our Creator take us back to our original identity and most fundamental roots?
God, in His grace, is giving His children all of eternity to explore the depths of His being. But on this side of eternity, our knowledge remains partial. The Apostle Paul writes, "For now we see through a glass, darkly...now I know in part." (I Corinthians 13:12 KJV) For that reason, I have deliberately titled this series, Knowing God Better, for while we can never know God completely, we can come to know Him better.
Knowing in Part
Because we only "know in part," we run the risk of basing our conclusions on what God is like by our own personal experiences.
It is a bit like the proverbial story of the blind men who were meeting an elephant for the first time. Each one touched the elephant to figure out what it was like. One of the men felt the elephant's tail and decided that an elephant was like a rope. Another one touched the elephant's large, broad side and declared that it was like a wall. Another felt the elephant's tusk and concluded that it was smooth and sharp like a spear.
When the men shared their findings with one another, a great argument broke out. The problem was not that the elephant did not have these distinct characteristics but that each man thought he had the whole truth. The fact was that each of them only had partial knowledge.
We are all, in a sense, like the blind men. We have genuinely encountered God, but we have not reached the end of His depths, nor have we seen the whole picture. For the One we desire to know is infinitely greater than our finite minds can comprehend.
The God Beyond Comparison
An important foundational truth in knowing God is to understand that He is not like us. We cannot project our own limitations onto Him. The prophet Isaiah caught a glimpse of His splendor when he wrote,
"Who else has held the oceans in His hand? Who has measured off the heavens with His fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?" (Isaiah 40:12 NLT) "The nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales..." (Isaiah 40:15 NIV)
"With whom, then, will you compare God?" (Isaiah 40:18 NIV)
Not only is God not like us; He is not like anyone else either. Perhaps the simplest way to express it is this: God is "Other."
When Theology Becomes Worship
Meditating deeply on the uniqueness of God has a profound effect on us.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul unfolds God's magnificent plan of salvation—His righteousness, His grace, Israel's place in His redemptive purposes, and the opening of the Gospel to the Gentiles. As he writes about these truths, he becomes so overwhelmed by the grandeur of God's wisdom and purposes that his theology suddenly gives way to worship:
"Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (Romans:11:33 NASB)
Deep reflection on God's character does not merely lead us to know Him better; it leads us to adore Him for Who He is. What begins as theology in the mind ultimately reaches the deepest recesses of the soul and erupts in worship.
When Meditation Gives Way to Praise
What happened to the Apostle Paul was not meant to be unique to him. Whenever believers meditate deeply on the nature and character of God, meditation often gives way to worship. I experienced this in my own life several years ago.
I was standing at my kitchen sink, washing dishes. The house was quiet, and I was alone. As I went about my chore, my thoughts were on the Lord. Suddenly, I felt a deep stirring rising within me. It intensified quickly, and I instinctively knew that I was on the verge of an outburst of worship.
The kitchen was not my usual place of communion with God. Most of my private moments with Him took place on my knees beside my bed. My first thought was to get to my bedroom before the flood of praise burst forth. Knowing that time was of the essence, I grabbed a dishtowel and quickly dried my soapy hands. But by then it was too late. I managed only one step away from the sink before I fell to my knees, and began to worship the Lord from the depth of my being.
Never had I experienced such a spontaneous outpouring of high praise. In that moment, the God I had been contemplating with my mind flooded my heart. My thoughts led to adoration and my meditation gave way to praise.
The Secret Things and the Revealed Things
In his farewell address to the Israelites, Moses gave us both the boundaries and the possibilities of knowing God. He declared, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children..." (Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV)
Human beings are finite in their understanding. In His wisdom, God has not chosen to disclose everything about Himself or His purposes. His unrevealed plans and divine mysteries remain His alone.
Yet God has not left us in darkness. There are things that can be known about Him because He has chosen to make them known. He has graciously revealed truths about His character, His ways, and His purposes. These are the things that "belong to us and to our children."
The secret things of God invite our reverence and wonder. But the things He has revealed are an open invitation to us to seek Him, to draw near to Him, and to know Him better. It is this search into the things that God has made known that we will be looking at in this series.
For more from Julia, see her Substack, “Reflections on Knowing God” @juliakamleiter
