One of the books I have been working my way through is J.I. Packer's Knowing God.
In his second chapter, Packer brings a most odious fact: one can know a great deal about God, and even a great deal regarding godliness, and yet not even know God.
If you force upon yourself a prolonged rumination on this fact, it leaves a most uncomfortable feeling.
Imagine, if you will, a book about God, and God himself sitting in your study. Packer is suggesting that many of us opt for the book about God, rather than building a relationship with God himself.
Packer lists four evidences of knowing God in this chapter, but I think it might be well for us to consider them rather an action list:
1. Those who know God have great energy for God.
Packer is going to bring out the heavy guns right off the bat. Here he means for us to understand that knowing God will produce a great deal of energy, which is followed up with action in our lives. But most of all, "people who know their God are before anything else people who pray. I am also quite certain that he means not the few lines before we fall asleep each night, or even perhaps an ongoing dialog throughout the day. I suspect Packer means for us to haul out two comfortable chairs, and invest ourselves in meaningful, thoughtful, and prolonged dialog. This would look no different, perhaps, then spending an afternoon catching up with your best friend.
2. Those who know God have great thoughts of God.
As we study God's revealed word about himself in the Scriptures, we gain a completely different view of God than our post-modern culture would dream. God is sovereign, holy, creator of all, infinitely powerful, and capable of absolutely anything. He is not Bono in pink sunglasses, traveling along our lives as a genie who we might rub on the head when we find ourselves in need.
3. Those who know God show great boldness for God.
This is fairly clear. Packer points us to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Understanding the potential loss of their lives, they refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar's image, and were subsequently thrown into a fiery furnace, where to Nebuchadnezzar's dismay, they merely enjoyed a conversation with "a son of the gods".
4. Those who know God have great contentment in God.
If our lives are filled with real relationship with God, then we will not be anxious like the 12 disciples in the storm. We will fully understand that our God even commands the storm, and is in full control of every molecule in the universe.
I have been greatly challenged by this chapter. Certainly knowing about God, his laws, and his revealed word is important, but clearly, far more important is the relationship. To be honest, and with great shame, I must admit that I put considerably more time into knowing of God, then actually knowing God.
I am pleased that Packer has opened the eyes quickly, and look forward to where he might point as I continue the counsel found in his wildly successful text.
