God's Resume

Have you ever thought about how awesome God’s resume would look? “Traits: All-powerful, all-knowing, infinitely loving and merciful, everlastingly faithful. Accomplishments: Created the universe, oversees the ongoing sustenance of the world. Hobbies include parting huge bodies of water (favorite: Red Sea).”

Obviously, God needs no resume, and even if He did, we would have to go well beyond words on a cold piece of paper to pursue knowledge of Him. Sadly, many people know facts about God, but few possess a “heart understanding” of those facts’ significance, and fewer still have any personal experience with the blessings of God.

This is not how it should be! God wants you to experience Him moment by moment in every situation, and He wants to pour out His blessings on you.

“Pouring it on” may have a negative connotation for you, especially as it relates to the weather. After all, rain is a hassle for most of us, really. But the biblical picture of God’s fullness, time and again, is that of rain. In the agricultural society of ancient times, people starved without rain. Same thing happens, spiritually speaking, when you don’t get God in your life.

So how do you put yourself in a position to get caught in this godly downpour? The prophet Hosea tells us how when he writes, “Let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). Speaking at a time of great prosperity in Israel, Hosea faced an uphill battle. Housing starts were up, inflation was down, all the economic indicators were shooting through the roof. Sound familiar? Just like today, many in that era some 2,700 years ago allowed blessings to distract them from, rather than help them in, developing a deeper relationship with God. But amid that spiritual wilderness, Hosea conveys some key points—truths that endure to this day—about the knowledge of God:

1. It’s possible. If you hear a voice telling you otherwise, know that it’s not God but Satan who is attacking the knowledge of God in your life (2 Corinthians 10:5). Consider Proverbs 2:5: “Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.” Or Hosea 6:6: “I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Paul said it, too, in Romans 11:33: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”

2. It’s available. Hosea writes, “His going forth is as certain as the dawn” (6:3). Now, how worried are you that the sun won’t come up tomorrow morning? Be assured that every moment God is going forth into the world He created and showing Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are yielded to Him.

3. It’s abundant. Right now you might be thinking, “But James, my problems are a lot bigger than the knowledge of God could solve.” You sure about that? Why don’t you invite God, in all of His sufficiency and power and loving kindness, into the center of your circumstances and let me know in a month how you’re doing?

I’ve read a wonderful truth: A man will begin to prepare his heart to seek the Lord when he’s convinced God will respond in grace. Hosea 6:1 says, “He has torn us, but He will heal us.” Listen, loved one, don’t ever worry that if you begin to seek God afresh with your whole heart, He might somehow say to you, “No, it’s been too long since I talked to you. You’ve had your chance!”

Wherever you are, pursue the knowledge of God. It won’t be easy—if it were, everyone could get it by dropping by the local 7-Eleven. But the rewards are well worth it: God will restore, He will revive, He will raise up. Make your own choice for yourself, but I sure am going after it.