Being known and knowing

God has been overwhelming my heart once again with the depth of His love for us. Below are some of the Scriptures that He has been implanting in my heart to once again strengthen my love, confidence and understanding of Him.


I know I've shared this verse before, but I'll share it again:):

John 17:3

Now this is eternal life:

that they may know you,

the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

The greek word for "know" used in this verse is ginosko: to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel to become known to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of to understand to know Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman to become acquainted with, to know

I recently listened to a sermon entitled "To be Known and Felt by God" where he discussed how God already fully knows us:

I Corinthians 13:12

Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

God already fully knows you and loves you!  The sermon shared above uses Psalm 139: 1-6 as part of its foundation:

You have searched me, LORD,

and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue

you, LORD, know it completely.

5 You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

When we come to the place of confidence and rest in God's love for us it provides a foundation for us to move into the things of God.  This week, I've also been reading Isaiah 44: 1-5, 21-28, which continues to resonate this theme of God knowing us and loving us.  It shows the benefits our life can reflect when we walk in confidence of this truth:

The Lord says, "People of Jacob, you are my servants. Listen to me!

People of Israel, I chose you."

2 This is what the Lord says, who made you,

who formed you in your mother's body,

who will help you:

"People of Jacob, my servants, don't be afraid.

Israel, I chose you.

3 I will pour out water for the thirsty land

and make streams flow on dry land.

I will pour out my Spirit into your children

and my blessing on your descendants.

4 Your children will grow like a tree in the grass,

like poplar trees growing beside streams of water.

5 One person will say, 'I belong to the Lord,'

and another will use the name Jacob.

Another will sign his name 'I am the Lord's,'

and another will use the name Israel."

People of Jacob, remember these things!

People of Israel, remember you are my servants.

 made you, and you are my servants.

So Israel, I will not forget you.

22 I have swept away your sins like a big cloud;

I have removed your sins like a cloud that disappears into the air.

Come back to me because I saved you."

23 Skies, sing for joy because the Lord did great things!

Earth, shout for joy, even in your deepest parts!

Sing, you mountains, with thanks to God.

Sing, too, you trees in the forest!

The Lord saved the people of Jacob!

He showed his glory when he saved Israel.

24 This is what the Lord says, who saved you,

who formed you in your mother's body:

"I, the Lord, made everything,

stretching out the skies by myself

and spreading out the earth all alone.

25 I show that the signs of the lying prophets are false;

I make fools of those who do magic.

I confuse even the wise;

they think they know much, but I make them look foolish.

26 I make the messages of my servants come true;

I make the advice of my messengers come true.

I say to Jerusalem,

'People will live in you again!'

I say to the towns of Judah,

'You will be built again!'

I say to Jerusalem's ruins,

'I will repair you.'

27 I tell the deep waters, 'Become dry!

I will make your streams become dry!'

28 I say of Cyrus,[a] 'He is my shepherd

and will do all that I want him to do.

He will say to Jerusalem, "You will be built again!"

He will tell the Temple, "Your foundations will be rebuilt."

There are many promises and truths embedded in these verses. Here are a few of the many thoughts that I've been reflecting on:

• I've been reflecting on the contrast between vs 3 where He says He will pour out waters on the dry land with verse 27 where He says to the deep waters "Be dry." One of my favorite attributes of God is that He is a Redeemer, Restorer, Replacer and I think these verses capture that fact. The deep waters, the broken places in our hearts, that have been there for years, He declares - "Be dry." And yet He doesn't just leave us dry, He then pours out water on these dry and barren places to allow the life that He has always intended to be there, to flourish and live.
• vs 3 "I will pour out my Spirit on your children!" We live in this reality right now. What a beautiful and eager expectation we can have for our children. Have you been teaching your children to tune an ear to the Spirit?
• vs 5 "Another will sign his name: "I am the Lord's." Is this the identity that walk around with? The God who already fully knows you, says you can.

There is much more in those verses, but I'll let you find them! To sum it up, the Lord has been teaching me to enjoy today, because eternal life is now - in the knowing and being known by Him. As I rest in the knowledge that He already fully knows me, loves me and accepts me I am able to walk in joy with Him in the dailyness of life.

I'm praying that you may have a knowledge and understanding of His great love for you and that it will truly be a place where you can rest your heart in as you walk through this day.

In Christ,