Daily Devotional for July 24, 2020
Knowing God
“Mom?” Zane came into his mother’s office with his friend Tomás. “Can Tomás stay the night? We’re doing a report on Abraham Lincoln and need to work on it some more.”
“Sure,” said Mom, “if it’s okay with his parents, and if he doesn’t mind going to church with us in the morning.”
“I don’t mind,” said Tomás. “My family doesn’t go to church much. My mom says God is too hard to understand. I think she’s right.”
“Don’t you think Abraham Lincoln is hard to understand too?” asked Mom.
“Well, learning about him should help us understand him a little better,” said Tomás. “That makes sense,” Mom said. “And that’s one reason we go to church—to learn and understand more about God.”
“See, Tomás?” said Zane. “Going to church will help you.”
“I have gone a few times,” said Tomás, “but I still don’t understand God.”
“That’s good!” said Mom.
The boys looked surprised.. “It’s good he doesn’t understand God?” Zane asked. “Well, can you imagine a God that a twelve-year-old—or anyone—could understand by going to church a few times? Would you want Him in control of everything?” Mom motioned toward a book Tomás was holding. “Will you completely understand Abraham Lincoln after this report?”
Tomás shook his head. “People are…complicated.”
Mom smiled. “Right. People are complex, and you can’t fully understand them just by reading a book. And God is more complex than any human could ever be. He created everything, and our human minds cannot completely understand God and all He knows. But He gave us a book—the Bible—to help us understand who He is and what He’s like, and He also made a way for us to know Him personally.”
Zane gave Tomás a slug on the arm. “You know—like a friend!”
Mom nodded. “We may not understand everything about God, but we know He loves us because He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us so we could have a relationship with Him. As we get to know Him better, He helps us understand enough so we know we can trust Him for all we need—both now and for eternity.”
Tomás nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe going to church will help me understand Him a little more.” • HEATHER M. TEKAVEC
How about you?
Do you find God hard to understand? That’s okay! No one can fully understand Him. God is much greater, wiser, and more powerful than anybody, and that means you can trust Him to take better care of things than you or anyone else ever could. You don’t have to understand everything about God to know Him personally. He loves you, and as you get to know Him better, He’ll help you understand that you can always trust Him.
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