Dear Readers,

I believe that knowing God, really knowing Him, makes a big difference in our ability to overcome adversity. Many times I faced the choice, it seemed, to either go deeper with God or go under. For this reason, I want to embark on a new adventure with you over the next year—studying God!

Each month you will find an article on the front page highlighting a wonderful facet or truth about Him. Corresponding study questions will be published simultaneously (see links below or menu). Please don’t let the word “study” scare you. You have a full month to complete a normal week’s worth of material!

This Bible study was originally written by Kay Smith and is used with her permission. I can’t emphasize enough how life-changing this course was when I took it years ago. I’ve adapted and edited it for this website and included my own content as well. If you’re looking for encouragement, hope, and God-aligned wisdom to guide your life, “Going Deeper” is for you!

P.S. Ruth’s blog continues to run each month.

A New Adventure

By Kay Smith and Ruth Wood

What does it mean to know God? Does this imply that I learn facts about Him? Or might it mean that I must experience Him in some mystical way?

Maybe you’ve heard words like “theology” or “study” in connection with the idea of knowing God, but you feel intimidated because you’re not the academic type. First, let’s define those words so that you can relax!

Theology is the study of God, who He is, what He does and what He can do. To study not only means to acquire knowledge, but it also means to consider, to contemplate. Just think what a privilege it is to contemplate the most wonderful and glorious being in the universe!

Illustration

Here’s an illustration to help you better understand this idea of knowing God. Suppose you get a letter from an unknown great-aunt saying, “I want you to come live with me, love me, and take care of me the rest of my life.” I’m sure your eyebrows would go up and all kinds of questions would swirl through your mind. What kinds of things would you want to know at this point?

Then she writes, “I’m very rich, I’ll leave you all my money, and you’ll be independently wealthy. The doctor says I’ll live ten to twenty years.” Now what questions would come to mind? Are you more likely to consider her proposition?

More evidence

After this you receive letters from neighbors, your pastor, and others saying that your great-aunt is a wonderful lady, never complains, that she’s cheerful, very self-sacrificing, and loves to play with children. She’s the kind of person who encourages those around her in the hospital.

Are you now more motivated to live with her? Do you love her yet? What more might it take? Wouldn’t her excellent reputation incline you to get to know her, maybe even institute a trial period of living together to give the proposition a fair chance?

The point is, the more you know about someone, a good someone, the easier it is to trust that person and grow to love them. It’s the same with God—the more we know about what He is like, the easier it is to commit our lives to Him.

The Foundation

Everything the Bible says rests on who God is, but sometimes we forget that:

To be saved, we have to know who God is, we have to believe there’s a holy God who punishes sin and who loves us enough to forgive it.

To pray and trust, we have to know who God is. We need to know that He’s powerful enough to answer, wise enough to know the best course of action, loving enough to care.

To obey Him, we have to know who God is. We need to believe He deserves obedience and that He knows what He’s doing even when it doesn’t make sense to us.

To have an accurate self-image, we have to know who God is. We need to know how powerful He is, how helpless we are; how wise He is, how shortsighted we are. We need to understand God’s greatness in order to be truly humble. Knowing Him as Creator and Redeemer helps us understand our worth. He is the answer to where we came from, why we’re here, and where we’re going.

Going deeper with God will profoundly affect our lives; it will enable us to trust Him more and obey Him more willingly, to have a better perspective on life and its difficulties.

Conclusion

We began by asking if knowing God meant learning facts or if it meant experiencing Him. As the rich aunt illustration shows, it’s really both. The knowledge gained inspires a desire to spend time with Him, to relate to Him properly. Because He is infinitely more vast, multi-faceted, and more incredible than we could ever comprehend, diving into all that He is remains an ongoing, exhilarating adventure.

©2012 Ruth Wood and Kay Smith. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Published by www.Comfort-Cafe.net. Contact info: ruthywood@gmail.com

Study Questions and User Permissions

Feel free to print out the above article and corresponding study questions. However, please note that this study may not be sold or used for profit. Copies may be made for individuals or study groups, but wording may not be altered and copyright and contact information must be included.