Recently, this question caught me: Am I known by God?
Of course, I know the intellectual answer to this question. Yes, God is my Creator, as the catechism reminds my children and me in our school day. Of course he knows me. He is my Redeemer, understanding the depths of sin in my soul and rescuing me through Christ.
But do I truly, deeply, know that I am known by God?
Some days, it’s hard to say. Even in the presence of my Creator and Redeemer, I can feel the need to hide behind a mask of apparent faithfulness, my seeming goodness. Some days, I don the mask from a place of anger and bitterness, pride and shame. Other days, the intensity and complexity of my emotional state causes me to pull the mask a bit higher, cowering in the not-so-goodness of created me. Surely God won’t want to know me like this.
Truly, this earthly journey can sometimes be a lonely one. We can often be misunderstood, even by those closest to us. We may feel isolated while in the midst of a busy family, a huge city, or a vibrant ministry. The temptation to feel worthless, unseen, and, well, unknown, is great. And rather than strip down the mask and pour our hearts out to our knowing Father, we carry on in our busy lives and refuse him the opportunity to lavish his love and care on us, his beloved daughters.
Friends, I want to encourage you today that you are so deeply known by your Father. You may be running from him, hiding from him, covering your face from his gaze, but he knows you. You may be practicing those disciplines, choosing the right attitudes, keeping your calm and maintaining your integrity, doing all those right things, but you are known before and after all of that, in spite of that. His gaze is upon you, and that mask prohibits you from feeling the full warmth of his gaze.
There is no mask that is effective against the pervasive love and care of your heavenly Father. There is nothing, not your fear, not that trial, not your disappointment, not even you, that can shield you from his loving gaze:
“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.” (Romans 8:38)
And because of his love, his love – most fully expressed in Christ’s work on our behalf – because we are known by him, we are more than conquerors. Through him who loved us. There is no amount of faithfulness from you than can increase his love – he already loves you to the full. There is no amount of failure that will decrease his love – he already loves you to the full.
It is my prayer today that you will be flooded in a fresh way with the reality of God’s knowing love for you. That you will be able, with joy and gratitude, to rip off that mask keeping your face from receiving the full gaze of Christ, and, arms outstretched, to bask in his joy and delight in you.
Prompts if you are desiring to remind yourself of how you are known by God:
Your Father delights in you, not because you finished a project or held your temper, but because you are beloved to him.
Your Father intuitively knows your needs before you’ve even voiced them, before you even knew of them yourself.
Your Father treasures you, not because of what you do for him, or because of your faithfulness, but because of Christ in you.
Your Father loves to lavish you with good gifts, not because you’ve done something to earn them, but because he’s full of grace.
Your Father knows you to the full, to the depths of your heart, and loves you the same.
Photo by Marcelo Rangel on Unsplash
Thanks! I so needed to hear that this morning.
ah you’re so welcome! I’ve been grateful for this reminder too…