I’m not speaking of a legalistic trip – “gotta spend time with God to be a better Christian” – no – consistent daily time just to know Him more deeply and understand Him as the resource for all of our life… for now and for eternity.
As important as it is to read God’s word to learn about our relationship with God and His plan for successful living, it is even more important to read the Word to be in His presence. A transformed life comes not from learning the Word but from being absorbed in His presence through the word.
Let's examine one aspect of God. We can observe God as Creator/father of all mankind. In the beginning God created… and the rest of Genesis enumerates. Thus in a generic sense, God is father of all mankind in like manner that George Washington is known as the father of the USA. Was Washington my literal father? No, but he was the founding head of the nation in which my Norwegian/Estonian roots were later established.
God the father of all people has the same universal parental role. Recall Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth..
This universal Father/God is observable in nature. Romans 1: 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Awareness of God is available to us through nature. Even the illiterate has no excuse. God can be known. Psalms 19;1-2 reiterates: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
The Psalms 19 passage presents in the first six verses an observation of God in nature. Verses seven through eleven jump abruptly to the significance of God’s law.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the whole person…and in keeping of it there is great reward.”
Thus, in Psalms 19:1-6 we view in nature our Father/God, Creator. We balance this perception in verses 7 to 11 with knowing him in his law, the Bible. As we obey His Word there is great reward. We’re not finished with Psalms 19. The chapter concludes with a challenge to internalize God. To allow Him to penetrate through our protective devises that hides our inner ugliness even from ourselves.
The Amplified version of 19:12-13 “Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden and unconscious faults. Keep back our servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.”
Do you catch the progression here: know God through his creation; know Him more deeply through the Word and let God scrutinize you for cleansing, resulting in verse 14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my firm, impenetrable rock and my redeemer.” (Amplified)
In the next post we’ll morph from observing our universal Father to viewing God as a personal Father.
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