Knowing God

Knowing God. What an intense thought. Do you know him? I don't mean know about him, or know all the right answers to Biblical or moral questions, or know who the Bible says he is. I mean, literally, do you personally know him? I also don't mean do you pray to him. Praying  to and knowing someone are very different actions.

When first getting to know someone, it usually takes a little while for me to figure that person out, to understand their dynamic. Once I've figured them out, I can then understand and know why they do what they do or act the way they act. If at first I analyzed their actions without knowing who they were or where they came from, I'd be getting the order wrong and would be doing myself a disservice. I'd end up judging them wrongly or assuming things about them that were not wholly true.

I think sometimes people analyze God's actions and decipher why he does what he does without truly knowing him, myself included. This process usually ends with frustration and twisted conclusions, which is unfortunate. 

I then think of the passage in the Bible (the location of the passage is currently lost upon me) that talks about the people who stood before God and basically said, "Look at all the things we've done for you, Lord! We've prophesied in your name, have driven out demons..." Then God replies, "But I never knew you. Away from me..."

So, do you know God? Really? It's a question that has recently been weighing heavily on my thought life for a few weeks.