Job 42-1-6
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent[a] in dust and ashes.”
For eight years of my life, I attended Catholic school. Many of those years I attended mass at least six times a week. We were taught religion from nuns and priests. Occasionally there were special church events like confessions, Feast days and the like. The point is that I spent much time surrounded by the language and the encouragement about God. Even to this day I benefit from that season when I open my Bible and look up passages I am reminded of Sister Mary Gabriel who taught us about chapter and verse and drilled us relentlessly. I recall many discussions with Father Schmidt who was our parish priest at the time. From second to third grade I played mass in my house, recruiting my brother to participate as we played records of church music and read from liturgies. I intended at a couple of seasons during that part of my life to become a priest.
Small temptations started me down the road to disbelief and ultimately I totally gave into sin creating idols of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Looking back I see that I fell hard because I thought somehow that my knowledge about God was enough. I had my own Bible and even though it was rare that I read it, I heard it almost daily. I still remember the day that a teacher challenged that knowledge. This history teacher said that the history of the Bible was not actually accurate. That was the final push that my sinful nature needed to totally go haywire.
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Job realizes when he comes face to face with God and when God makes Himself known intimately to Job that Job had no idea who this God was. Many go to church and read their Bibles and say their prayers but do not have an intimate relationship with God. Many can defend and spout theology as masters but still do not know God. Our goal and a critical piece of our healing and growth is to take time to get to know Him. While the disciplines are important as we will discuss, they are a means and not the objective. While good works are in a word, good. They are a means not an end. All of these things can help us to know a God who in many ways is unknowable yet is our King and longs for us to seek Him.
Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:3
How do we get to know God? Most of us want a very practical answer that gives us a solid checklist that includes time frames and exact words how we can summon God to our side. The good news or maybe for most of us the bad news, it is not all that complicated. How do children learn about their parents? It is rare that they will read about them in a book or discover who their parents might be by listening to a podcast. Children get to know their parents by spending time with them. Small children love to have their parents around. Even the more daring will look back once in a while to ensure that they are still there.
Some children will even misbehave in a determined effort to get their parents’ attention. I was one of those kids. It often feels like the well-behaved kids are ignored. Our society even seems to reward the loudest voices and those that are most focused on hate of some enemy get the media’s attention. Many try to get God’s attention in the same way. I read about influential ministry leaders who seek power, glory and wealth and will do whatever it takes to get the attention of the God they say that they serve. It is funny that Jesus did not prioritize any of those things. They misbehave and call attention to all of their good works. Many of these works really are good. No question there. The problem comes when we call attention to ourselves.
