The Personal God

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ear.”  Psalm k18:6

Dear Ones:

It is very possible that the first question that entered into the mind of Gideon when the “angel of the Lord” came and spoke to him was this:  “Is this You, Lord?”  It is one thing to receive the general, and glorious, revelation of the attributes of God as are seen in creation.  It is quite another to KNOW His presence, and the reality of Jesus words:  “…he shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” (Jn. 14:21)  Paul’s great quest was to know God, and the “power of His resurrection.” (Phil. 3:10)  In the writings of David in the Psalms, and then in the letters of Paul, we find that both men truly knew the reality of God’s presence, and blessing, by the Spirit.  Jesus Christ, the Lord and King, was a reality to them.  For the three Hebrews which were thrown into the fiery furnace in Daniel’s day, God was real.  The same was true for Daniel, when, as an old man, he would not forfeit fellowship with God, even at the cost of his life, being thrown into the lion’s den.  Why?  Because God was a greater reality to him, even more than life.  That reality was an eternal one, which would not fade with time and changes of this earth.  Gideon, who truly and honestly sought the Lord, found Him to be truly the One that was calling and equipping him for the task before him.  How does God in Christ, by His Spirit, become the greatest reality and dominating truth in the life of the believer?

In Psalm 18, we find where David reveals God’s way of becoming real to the heart.  He begins with who God is.  The basis of faith is the truth of God.  Therefore, he begins by writing the truth that the Lord is his strength.  He goes on to declare that He is his rock, fortress, deliverer, His God, shield, and high tower. (v.1-2)  Not only has David grasped that God “reveals” Himself according to His attributes, by meeting the needs of the heart and life, but David MAKES these revelations of God to be his own by faith.  He partakes of God according to the truth.  The first KEY to knowing God as a reality, is discovering by the serious study of the Word of God just WHO He is.  Truth is the basis for faith.  Secondly, it is only by faith in God according to the truth, can the believer grasp the reality of God.  God can never be known on the basis of a lie.  Jesus was emphasizing this when He said, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” (Jn. 14:6)  He would add, “…no man comes to the Father but by Me.”  Why does He say this?  Because only by the truth of who Jesus IS, and what He has accomplished on the cross for sinful man, can one come truly to God.  The question then must be asked, “If this is true, must we know ALL the truth of God before we can come to Him, to know Him?”  The answer is “no.”  However, if the heart is truly seeking God in honesty and truth, if one “calls on the name of the Lord,” in faith, he will be saved. (Romans 10:13)  With a basic knowledge of God, of Christ, the call of faith will result in God’s working in the heart and life, to save the soul, and make a new creature of all who would truly believe.

The application of these truths is seen in David’s calling upon God.  He took what he knew to be true of God, making it his by faith.  He then would declare:  “I will call upon the  Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Ps. 18:3)

Dear Father, Open our eyes to see, and understand, who Thou art, appropriating Christ by faith, in truth, to know Thee.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Love, Dad