Chosen and Redeemed: That You may Know Him Better

 

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  Ephesians 1:17

 That you may know Him better. I have known my husband for more than 32 years now. When we first met, we would spend hours on the phone together, well into the wee hours of the morning. We exchanged notes (we were in high school at the time) daily, most of which I still have. You would think that after those many, many hours of getting to know him, I would really know him inside and out. Hardly! If this was the case, then when we became adults and began to make our home together, things would have gone swimmingly. Instead, it was like I was living with a completely different person! As we progressed in marriage and children, new parts of him appeared, and old ones were emphasized. Each different challenge we faced in life brought out a different part of his personality. We continued those long chats, although we didn’t need to use the phone anymore usually. Our habit was to reserve deep, meaningful discussions or those about big future plans for long drives. We would frequently drive to the coast, or up north to visit family, and talk for hours and hours. Still, though, I hadn’t scratched the surface of all of who my husband is. When I was diagnosed with a genetic condition (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) and a couple of years later with a brain tumor, I saw new things about his personality I hadn’t experienced before. His nurturing, protective nature took on a whole new look! What I know about him now is really how little I probably know. I no longer think that I have him figured out or know all there is to know about him. I know enough to trust him, to love him deeply, and to look forward to all the new things that I will learn as we continue to travel together through this life.

 I’ve experienced a similar progression of experience with God. As a kid, I knew Him as a kind, but stern, Father. As a teenager and young adult, I mostly felt guilt and shame that I was doing things I knew He wouldn’t approve of, but I did them anyways. I hoped He still loved me, but I didn’t have any assurance or understanding of it. Then, shortly after my first son was born, I found that I needed that assurance. I needed to know that God loved me no matter what and that He would take care of me and my loved ones. He gave me that assurance and I began truly walking in relationship with Him. Again, at that age, I thought I knew all about God. I knew about the plan of salvation and that Jesus was the only way to Heaven. I set out to tell everyone about God, but I was still getting to know Him. I’m afraid in my enthusiasm I may have misrepresented Him, but I trust, in hindsight, that He can use even that. Today, more than a quarter of a century later, I’m beginning to know how little I know about God. He gives me new and greater understanding each day that I study His Word, which leads me to believe that there is quite a bit more to learn about Him going forward!

 In today’s verse, Paul asked the God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give the Ephesians the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they would know Him better. I’ve seen the answer to this prayer in my life as I’ve walked with God over the years. Just like how I have learned more and more about my husband as I’ve lived in relationship with him for 32 years, I learn more and more about God as we go through this life together.

Here's the Thing: I no longer think I know all there is to know about God. What I do know about Him thrills and amazes me. It also excites me for all the new things that I will get to learn. I pray, with Paul, that our glorious Father, may give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know him better.