Alongside Inc.

Counselor’s Commentary: Thoughts About God as the Author of Truth and Revelation (Part 2)

      Scripture is quite clear in passages such as Psalm 139 that God knows us in thoroughgoing fashion. But what is sometimes less taught, acknowledged, emphasized, or understood is that we also can know God (Jer. 29:13). Certainly lip-service is done to the idea of “knowing God” in the use of terms like “knowing Christ in a personal way” or in a concept like having personal devotions. But even cursory observation of the way believers talk about these things indicates that often what is meant is little more than going through specific motions with little sense of deep and meaningful interpersonal communication taking place. How often do we not hear a fellow or sister believer lament that he or she “should” be more faithful in devotions or that he or she wishes he or she were getting more out of devotions? One is left with the idea that something important is sadly lacking in this exercise. Perhaps that “something lacking” is a con-sciousness of being known by God, knowing Him, and relating person-to-person with Him. How often we long for genuine fellowship, sensing the lack, and not knowing quite what to do to “fix it.”

Back in my senior year of college, I was impacted greatly by the writings of Francis Schaeffer. In particular his book He Is There and He Is Not Silent stretched my understanding of God's revelation and the implications of such in my daily walk. I began to understand that God is a Communicator, and a masterful One at that! I began to comprehend that He desires to reveal His glory to humankind for our enrichment and to establish a basis for the most significant kind of relationship that can exist. Revealing His glory consists of making His Person known and also of having His glory reflected by those created in His Own image. His revelation in nature is what scientists (including psychologists) observe, while His revelation apart from nature—through Israel, through the prophets, through dreams, through conscience, through the Old and New Testament writings, and supremely through the person of Jesus Christ—is what theologians study. But in either case, both natural revelation and special revelation show forth Who God Is and therefore are designed to lead the student of them into knowing God and entering into a profoundly personal relationship with Him.

     Scripture makes clear that God desires to reveal His very Self to His people. I cannot help but see His delight at Moses’ request to see His glory. I also cannot help but note His “statement of purpose” regarding the ten plagues of the Exodus: to show to Pharaoh and the Egyptians and the surrounding nations Who He Is, His existence, His power, uniqueness, His “godness,” so to speak, and His very Person. I cannot bypass commands such as, “Seek ye the Lord,” or the examples of biblical persons whose hearts were reported as being hearts like God’s. And there are the promises as well, promises of truly finding God if we would but seek Him diligently. I am forced to conclude that a major purpose in God’s revelation is that the receiver of the revelation come to know the Person of God and enter into profound and personal relationship with Him.

And what does all this have to do with psychology? Psychology teaches relationship to be foundational to a sense of personal well-being—to know and accept another and to be known and accepted by that other. And who better to know and to be known by than our Creator, the One Who has been variously referred to by such terms as the Ground of our Being and the Anchor of our Soul? The foundation of any intimate relationship is knowing and accepting another person and being known and accepted by him or her. To be “accepted” without being known is inadequate, for there is always the fear that when the other finds out what one is really like, the acceptance will end. And since there is no human being who can know us fully, there is no human being with whom there can be a total absence of fear, total security. However small, there is always a “What if…” somewhere. If I were to “blow it” badly enough at some point, would the other person still be fully accepting of me, with no diminution whatsoever in the level of acceptance?

Since God knows me fully, and not only knows what I have done but also what I might do—in fact, what I will do!—and still accepts me fully, with God there is total security available (though imperfectly apprehended). And this total security is available in relationship with God alone, no other. Therefore, being known by God and being accepted by Him is critical to my security, significance, and belonging. And I can know of this security through His revelation and through my experience with Him. Beyond letting me know that He absolutely knows and accepts me, God graciously invites me to know Him as well. To know Him is to love Him, for He is perfect love. And so in revealing to me His knowledge, love, and acceptance of me and revealing His very Person to me, God establishes the basis for genuine and intimate relationship with Himself, the most secure and significant relationship available to any human being—a vital factor in the promotion of both physical and psychological as well as spiritual health. Praise God for His marvelous provision!

Jeanne L. Jensma, M.R.E., Ph.D., Director of Counseling