The More You Know
When we want to get to know someone, most of us reach for our phones and try to find as much information on them as we can find. Some of us even consider ourselves to be part time CIA agents based on how quickly we can find information. There was one time where a bunch of my friends and I went to a Red Sox game and my roommate in college got to talking to this really awesome person. We only knew his first name and where he lived, but my roommate had such a great time getting to know him, she was determined to find him on social media. I doubted she would be able to find him since we knew so little about him, but before I knew it, I got a screenshot of his Instagram profile. She had done it, she found him. Only knowing his first name and his hometown. Yikes.
In all seriousness, we can find so much about so many people these days. But that got me curious: God obviously doesn’t have social media, so where do we do find more information on God and who He is?
Alright the answer is fairly straightforward, but we can find so much out about God in Scripture. We don’t have to go through hoops to find this information like my roommate did, but we have access to the same Scripture to describe who God is and what He has done throughout time. This information never changes, so it doesn’t need constant updating like our social media profiles do.
So who is God, then? Well, if you want to learn more about who He is, I encourage you to read through Psalm 103. There are so many ways the goodness of God is described, such as compassionate, abounding in love, everlasting, and righteous. These adjectives are no joke and only scratch the surface of God’s personality, so there are many other places to find out more about who God is.
One of the things that amazes me, however, is how consistent God is. When things happen to us, we shift or change for better or for worse. But God is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow, regardless of circumstance. God is always good and always abounding in love. There is nothing that can shift that, so what we read in Scripture we can read in confidence knowing that our God will never change. I encourage all of us to put on our investigative hats and try to find some more information about God, because the more you know about Him, the more profound we will realize His love is for all of us. – Katie Hufnagle
Journal Guide: Take some time to get alone today and take about 15-20 minutes to journal through these questions. Journaling is a way we pray to God, so see what God might be telling you.
1. What do you do to find out more about someone?
2. What are some truths about the Lord you know to be true? How do those relate to how He made you?
3. How are these characteristics transformative to who and where we are now?
4. Take some time to write a prayer to God.
Conversation Guide: Ask three questions to your siblings and parents. We think doing it over the dinner table or right after dinner is a great time to do it.
1. What is everyone’s favorite characteristic of God?
2. What characteristic of God do you think our family embodies?
3. What are some passages of Scripture that can help us understand God on a deeper level?
Prayer: Read Psalm 103 and then read this prayer by yourself:
Dear God, you are good and faithful in all your ways. Thank you for showing us who you are in your word and that there are no circumstances that can change your great and powerful love. Help me to learn more about you and who you are, but hold to the truth that you are God. Let us not get caught up in seeking knowledge but realize that you transform us and make all things who are of you into your mighty image. Help this information transform us and show your love to those around us. I love you. Amen.