Where is another God like you, who pardons the sins of the survivors among his people? You cannot stay angry with your people, for you love to be merciful. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will tread our sins beneath your feet; you will throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will bless us as you promised Jacob long ago. You will set your love upon us, as you promised our father Abraham!
Micah 7:18-20 (The Living Bible)
Today, many are reluctant to announce that the God of the Jews is the one true God. This statement seems offensive to those who do not believe in this God. And let’s face it – it is. However, it is only offensive because people do not understand and know the God of the Jews. Throughout the millennia, the name of God, the Being of God, the characteristics of God have been twisted to fit into mankind’s view of the world. This is sorely unfortunate, as it has made many bitter against God, or declare there is indeed no God at all.
Life is difficult and people need to blame someone for their pain and problems. Oftentimes, they use God as a scapegoat. This reasoning then leads to anger and disbelief in God. The question asked by the person experiencing difficulty is, “If God is so good, why would He let this bad situation happen?” Or perhaps, one asks, “Where is God when I need Him?” These questions are as old as time itself.
The answers to these questions only come when we build a relationship with God. It is no different in building a relationship with another human being. It takes time, desire, trust, laughter, tears and communication to build a good relationship. If a person does not put in the effort to get to know another person, then there is no relationship, only an acquaintance. We do not claim that an acquaintance is a deep friendship because that would be unreasonable. And yet, people curse God because He doesn’t act how they think He should act, without really understanding who He is and why He does the things He does. In other words, their understanding of God is based only on an acquaintance of God, if that, and not on truly knowing God at all.
Could it be we are spending more time watching TV, surfing the internet, doing what we are interested in, than getting to know God? Are we just shallowly going through life doing what makes us feel good and then complaining when things don’t go our way? Where is the challenge and purpose of that?
This series in this blog will explore the characteristics of God in order to get to know Him better. How long will it last? I don’t know. It may take a few months or a year to explore who God is. (In reality, it takes more than a lifetime to get to know God.) I will write on this subject until God tells me to stop. I will be focusing on God’s characteristics, but that may evolve into actions of God as well. I ask you, my readers, to join me on this journey into getting to know God intimately. If you have questions or suggestions for topics on how to get to know God better, please leave a comment in the comment box below. I sincerely pray this is not my journey alone, but that many will walk beside me as we seek God’s face.
Finally, brothers [and sisters], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Phillipians 4:8
