I remember VBS when I was six-years-old, when the teacher, a friend of my mother, asked me, “Mary Lyn, do you know who God is?” I didn’t know how to answer the question. God is God. As I stared at the floor and can still see her red big toe sticking out of a small hole in her hose. Her toes jammed into the toeless black pumps. Her foot started tapping as she waited for my answer. A few giggles and snickers floated to my ears from the opposite side of the circle. The longer I tried to figure out what to say, the more embarrassed I became. I could feel my face burning hot with shame.
“Who knows Who God is?” Before she completed the question, waving hands and a chorus of “I do!” bounced off the walls. I kept staring at the floor.
How do we know who God is? The Bible is the story of God, and it tells us what God has done and the attributes of His character and nature. There is much to learn. The Old Testament tells the Father’s story and demonstrates His love, provisions, and faithfulness to His chosen people. From the moment of creation to the sin of Adam and Eve, God shows His desire to provide, protect, and meet with us in a community. Who is God in Noah’s story? How did Moses and God work together?
We realize God’s character by witnessing His work. He is creator, provider, protector, and holy. He displays the love for His people through rescuing them from their enemies, delivering them out of slavery, or tumbling down walls. Watch for words like eternal, powerful, faithful, compassionate, kind, and loving. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all appear in the Old Testament. Each time we also witness the people being obedient to His instructions or rebel against God and his love.
The New Testament continues God’s story through His Son, Jesus. We all love superhero stories, and Jesus is the superhero of the New Testament. In the Old Testament, we find Jesus by foreshadowing and prophecies (Psalm 22 and Isiah 53). The New Testament is an account of Jesus’ birth, life, teachings, trials, emotions, death, resurrection, and the building of His church. Here we witness displays of compassion, miracles and healing, and righteous anger by God in human form. Every book, every chapter, leads us on a journey to believe in Him and the treasures of eternal faith. We see prophecies fulfilled and know every word came from God’s truth.
Most of us have a copy of the Bible in our homes. How frequently do you pick it up and just read and meditate? Reading the Bible offers an understanding of who God is and what God does. Often, I start reading a passage, but like any great book, I can’t stop. I go back to the beginning of the chapter and read the story.
I challenge each of you to read a verse, passage, or chapter every day to learn more about who God is—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Unless we know who God is and what He has done and currently does, are we equipped to live freely in relationships with them?
Meditate on this question in your time with God.
