Weekly Devotional: Known by God

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” — Psalm 139:1, NIV

You may have heard phrases such as “you don’t understand me” or “you just don’t know” uttered by individuals who feel misunderstood or unnoticed. However, there is one who fully knows us. We are known by God — not merely our good or bad aspects, or the aspects that we let everyone else see — God knows everything about us.

This may seem a bit intimidating on first thought; however, it can also be a comfort to know that we are known by God and that He still sent Jesus Christ out of love to die for our sins and a relationship with Him.

Embracing Being Known by God and His Unconditional Love

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” — Jeremiah 1:5, NIV

Although being known by God is, in itself, very awe-inspiring, what makes it even more so is the fact that He also chooses to love us. In Jeremiah 31:3, God says to His people “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Even with our mistakes, flaws, secrets and pain that God knows everything about, He still adores us.

He does not see us and think that we are no longer worthy, or that we are too weird, too broken, too crazy, too shy, etc. He still accepts us, knowing who we are.

This means we do need not bombard ourselves with shame and stress at the idea that God knows our “inmost being” (Psalm 139:13). Rather, we can embrace the fact that God knows us and still continues to love us.

Nothing we could do in the past, present or future could make God decide not to love us or to give up on us. Romans 8:38–39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” His love for us is unconditional.

Loving and Knowing God

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” — John 10:3-4, NIV

Although we may not know everything, we, as Christians, can grow to love and know God more. The Bible is the ideal place to go to learn more about God. In a relationship with a friend or significant other, spending time together is a way to learn about the other person. The same is true of God. Knowing God and growing closer to Him means taking the time to read the Bible, talking to Him through prayer or going to church and Bible studies.

Matthew 22:37 says, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Our response to being known and treasured by God should be to love Him with our entire heart, soul and mind. Spending time in God’s Word and getting to know Him is just one of the many ways to do this.

Do you want to grow in your knowledge of God? Check out Grand Canyon University’s theology and ministry degree programs. GCU is a Christian university and holds to Christian identity and mission. If you would like to learn more about our online or campus degrees, click on the Request Info button at the top of your screen.