Define Him

The doorway into knowing God, or the knowledge of God, is the awareness that what you think you know is nothing compared to the reality of Him. Who is God really? The one who cannot be contained or fully defined by our limited human minds reveals Himself in the Word. But is He even contained or fully defined there, or is His Word only the beginning?

Psalm 113:5-6 says, "Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?"  God can be unnerving because we can't define Him. He defies definition. He's outside of our world. This verse states that God has to humble Himself to behold the things in our universe. He's transcendent, and when we get glimpses, have moments of beholding Him we don't the words in our limited language to articulate Him. 

I've grown up in the church my entire life, particularly one church my entire life. I remember well in my late teens, twenties, even into my thirties having this concept of myself that I "knew" God, that I had a handle on Him. I'm not sure what has shifted now that I've hit the forties, but I feel this great awareness that what I thought I've known about God is nothing...a grain of sand is what I had while standing on the beach of the Pacific. He is vast. Whatever He is, He is infinitely that and I've thought I could hold the fullness of Him in my small, weak tight fisted hand. 1 Timothy 6:16 tries to capture the glory of God by saying that He dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. Think of approachable light...it infiltrates our every day and evening. We gravitate toward approachable light, we're used to it. The analogy that "God is light" we think is understood. What is unapproachable light? 

We are so small. So small. One little life of 70 years out of millions over the earth's history. And what before that? We all...began somehow. But, "In the beginning, God..."  Before the beginning He was. No start, no created moment. And looking ahead, He has no end. I mean, the Bible says that when Jesus returns to the earth He will reign for 1,000 years! What beyond that? We are so small. We need a good dose of eternity, the place where moth and rust do not destroy. We were meant to declare like David did, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145:3). David didn't mean that we can't search it out. He meant that we the everlasting privilege and occupation of searching out the knowledge and greatness of an infinite Lord. 

We were formed to search out the depths of God. The knowledge of God is brings us life, makes us tick. When we understand what we were created for everything falls into place, life makes sense. But the knowledge of God begins with knowing that what you know about Him is a grain of sand. I think arrogantly holding onto that grain of sand is the beginning of boredom and apathy. Children are never bored when given the opportunity to explore new territory, new props, new adventures. If you watch a child in exploration mode, their faces are alive with curiosity and fulfillment at the same time. It's the collision of the unknown meeting the new known. Their faces are filled with wonder, joy, anticipation of something great. Maybe it's time to stop "adulting" with God. Maybe it's time to recognize the size of our childhood in relationship to our Father. Maybe it's time to return to His word with wonder and the anticipation of something great. And for sure, it's time for the death of our arrogant ignorance that tells us we expertly know God. 

And the good news as we do this? God. Wants. To. Be. Known.