“…God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his…” 2 Timothy 2:19A
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who has lost his beloved wife. He is in mourning and justly so, for his wife was a godly woman who walked alongside him for more than three decades. We spoke about her passing, what a void she had left in her family, but also, that we could believe that she was resting securely in the arms of the Lord she loved with all her heart.
That was when we started our discussion on whether God knows us at all, we who have accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and have embraced Him as our Lord and Saviour. I reminded him of what Scripture says:
“But whoever loves God is known by God” (1 Corinthians 8:3).
I find it interesting that his deceased wife is the one who drew my attention to this scripture one morning. It resonated, and stuck with me because of the comfort it gave me then, and still does: that God knows us. The eternal God knows us, not just as His creatures, but as dearly loved children.
Throughout the scriptures, but especially in the Psalms, there is a recurring theme of both God’s love for us and His intimate knowledge of us. Because He knows us and loves us, He is able to provide all that we need to thrive in life.
Romans 8:16 gives the assurance that: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children”.
Our foundational scripture today, 2 Timothy 2:19 A, records that God knows those who belong to Him. We are the people of God, called by His name. We belong to Him. He acknowledges us. We are described as: “… fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)
So what does this all mean?
In 1 Peter 2:9, scripture tells us that God has claimed us as His own treasured possession for one reason: that we would show forth His glory.
In Psalm 139:1 (NLT), the psalmist cries out: “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
In later verses of the same Psalm (139: 8-10), he declares that in God’s omnipresence is also His watchful care:
“If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”
In that revelation of God’s intimate knowledge of us is the assurance of His care.
Psalm 91 is beloved, but not quite understood. It speaks of God’s protection, His provision, His care and His promise of nurture, sustenance and life.
The first verse promises that the one who “dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1 (NKJV). This profoundly governs everything else that is promised in the entire Psalm.
A person very close to my heart, who was struggling in his faith at one time, asked me: “so what does it mean “to dwell in the secret place of the Most High”? I fumbled for an answer, and gave one which I thought was spiritual enough.
But I have now come to understand that what Jesus Christ did on the cross which has paid the price for all my sins, is what has brought me into communion with God Himself.
In that communion, I dwell in His presence. In His secret place. I am therefore covered because I know Him, and He acknowledges me as His own.
He knows me and loves me, not because of anything I have done or could ever do, but because I love Him and have accepted His love for me in Jesus Christ, my Lord.
I am known and loved… Loved and known.
What a comfort, for this life, and even beyond!
