I know you.

My mommy was a wonderful example to me of how to make your children feel special and loved when they are away. I often got little notes in my lunchbox when I was in elementary school. If I was gone for a more extended period, she'd send cards and things in the mail, or treats in my bag. Because of that, I spent part of last week buying little treats for my big girl's lunchbox. I wanted her to know that even though she is not physically with us, we are still thinking of her. I told her this morning that, for this first week, there will be a special SOMETHING in her lunchbox each day. Her response was, "I figured." I was intrigued. I asked why. She said, "It's logical." I asked her to explain, and she said, "I KNOW you."

This conversation got me thinking. We know and believe that God knows us. But how well do we know Him? In our conversation, my daughter explained that my past actions and character were consistent with my current display of love. Do we know our Father like that? Have we come to know His past actions through His word? Have we learned of His character? Do we KNOW Him so well that His present displays of faithfulness and love just seem LOGICAL? Dear Christian, our Father has revealed Himself to us so that we may KNOW HIM!

But the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land." God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6:1-7
 
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Psalms 9:10

Very Near

Today is a big day for our family. My oldest is attending her first day of school. First day of public school, that is, as an eighth grader. It is strange. Having had her present for the majority of the hours and days that make up her just-over-thirteen years, we are all feeling her absence. And yet I feel, in some way, that I am walking through her first day with her. I went with her to pick up her schedule. I walked through those halls with her, memorizing classroom numbers and locations. And she was shocked on Saturday to discover that I know her schedule. So, as the minutes tick by, and I work my way through another day, I'm thinking of where she is-- what subject she's being introduced to-- and I'm looking forward to the moment when I get to pick her up and hear all about her first day.

As I was thinking about how it almost feels like I'm walking through her day with her, I thought about God's nearness. It seems fairly easy, when we think about the universe which He created, to realize how BIG God is. How powerful. How awesome, kingly, too much for words. But dear Christian, do you also realize that God is NEAR to you! So. Very. Near. He is that attentive parent who walks new halls with you. He knows your schedule better than you do. And He CARES! And unlike the parent who has to wait until the end of the day to hear your joys and fears, He is actually WITH you. Every moment. Every hour. Every day.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Psalms 139:16

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20