In the process of developing the ‘new’ God’s Money Heart Ways, I’m reveling in fresh insights regarding what I think of as God’s marvelous intentions for us. I’ve never spent time memorizing God’s word; I know what I know by heart. This morning I read from a new devotional given me by a new friend. It’s Oswald Chambers, “Devotions for a Deeper Life.” Here’s an excerpt from Feb. 12.
“We never receive a complete knowledge through mere research, with our minds. Knowledge of God comes through our hearts—the windows of our souls.”
That immediately reminded me of Malachi Chapter 3, where God promises, see “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Mal 3:10 (AMP)
The windows of heaven—the windows of our souls—blessings the size of which we don’t have room enough to receive. The mind can’t comprehend it, but the heart can. Oswald goes on, “During the Boxer uprising in China, a lady I knew learned of the murder of her husband and two of her children. Their bodies were found beheaded and mutilated. After this astounding catastrophe she testified: “I could not pray, have faith, or lay hold of God. But my heart knew Him and no matter how this tragedy seemed to contradict so many things, I rejoiced in Him.”
Wow. After my husband Chuck passed away I too experienced what it meant to rejoice in God without prayer, faith or feeling of God. I saw that my faith wasn’t in my faith, my hope wasn’t in my hope, nor was my confidence in my confidence. Everything I had was in God. I knew Him by heart and rejoiced.
Even now blessings are poured out in abundance and beyond any mental ability to fathom how my glorious God accomplishes this. But the one thing I know by heart: God is God. Not joy. Not peace. Just God.
Jaque,
I will tuck this away: “I know Him by heart.”
It feels so secure, because once you know something by heart, it never leaves you.
He recently told me that the one thing I must never change my mind about is the fact that He loves me. This I know by heart and so I don’t change my mind about it, no matter what circumstances I am in.
I read from Tozer today in The Knowledge of the Holy. He said, “Just as under certain conditions a tiny point of light can be seen, not by looking directly at it but by focusing the eyes slightly to one side, so it is with the idea of the uncreated (God).”
When we try and know with our minds its like looking at the point of light, we can’t seem to see it, it eludes us. But when we know with our hearts it just kind of sneaks in there by the way of unknowing as long as we’re looking in the right direction.
We’re listening to the Character of God messages in our online class and you say in lesson one:
“We know him in his Presence, not from figuring him out.”
Sara,
This quote from Tozer about a “tiny point of light” is perfect. (I remember that from his book), and boy, it rings truer than ever in light of what God is showing me now. I love knowing that I know by the way of unknowing. :0)