One Single Light – Know God

In this year like no other, I've been pressing into my faith to get a clear message, some word of guidance. After seeking God about this for some time, I got a clear and simple message - "Care about the things I care about." So, for the foreseeable future, I am focusing my life on caring about the things God cares about. It's a great message to press into during the Christmas season.

This year's circumstances, for so many, have forced us to re-evaluate priorities and trim away the fat of our lives to get back to basics. God cares about a lot of things, but most of all, he cares about his children - us! Knowing the character of God, there are three ideas I believe God is calling us into. I call this growing upward, searching inward and reaching outward. More simply......knowing God, knowing ourselves, then knowing others. As I post through the advent season, I'll focus on each of these ideas separately.....yet they ALL point to Christ, our one singular light.

Know God - Grow Upward

God cares about being known. He is not hiding Himself from us, though at times He may seem far away. He assures us is always close by. Like an earthly friend, we know God, Christ, and Holy Spirit - and their collective character - through time and study. This year we have more time and reason than ever before to spending time knowing God. One of the main characteristics of God I've experienced so powerfully in my life is simple - I know God is good. The sinful world may be falling apart around me, but I'm protected by a good God.

I've heard people say, "If God loved me he wouldn't cause _________ to happen." When you know God, you realize that sin and suffering are not from God - in fact, he longs to rescue our spirit from the pitfalls of living in a fallen world. 1 Peter 1: 6-7 says "In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Christ is revealed."

God's Character Revealed

So the character of God is to lead us to praise, glory and honor when Christ is revealed through our trials. This year's trials for me included job loss, broken relationships, health struggles, and financial woes. But in every single one of these circumstances, rather than asking God - "Why?" I instead asked Him what I was seeing about His love and care for me during these challenges. I already know why - because we live in a fallen world. The "what" is a far better question - what is God showing me about his character through my trials.

His character says He wants to be my safe place to land, my hiding place, and my refuge in time of heartbreak. I find myself knowing Him through just soaking in His presence through music, quiet time, prayer, reading his word, and fellowshipping with other believers.

God will sometimes tell me things privately and then confirm it through others. For example, after a breakup this spring, I very clearly heard God tell me, "I'm protecting you!" Then a few days later, a friend told me, "I've been praying for you, and I feel God saying He was protecting you." So what I learned through the trial of a difficult break-up was that God is protecting me, and to trust Him with my precious heart! Here comes the praise, glory and honor when Christ is revealed!

Your Revelation

During this advent season, how are you getting to know God by looking upward? Invite Him to give you a fresh revelation of himself and to remind you why He is your single source of light. Spend the time, money and energy you normally invest into seasonal pleasures getting to know your heavenly father.

How does this look for you? How can you best focus on better knowing and understanding the character of God? The following segment of the scripture I quoted above is this, in 1 Peter 1: 8-9 "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

For inexpressible and glorious joy during a challenging time, meditate on God. Lean on the things you know about him, and seek that yet to be known. We will never fully know him, our physical minds are not able to absorb all that he is. So focus on what you do know. Allow Him to be your single guiding light during this season.