Knowing and Trusting God
ICS Daily Devotions

John 14:8-10 (NKJV) Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

‭‭We usually won’t be too trusting of someone we don’t know well. However, when it comes to God, He isn’t difficult to read. He isn’t a promise-breaker and He isn’t fuzzy in His ways or hiding things from us, because that would breed mistrust. Secondly, we will normally only trust those who have proven themselves trustworthy. Because God is sovereign, there are things we will never know or have the answers to. Nevertheless, God has given us 66 books that make up the Bible to reveal Himself, His ways, and His love to us. That, in itself, will help to develop trust in Him. ‬‬‬‬‬‬

God has revealed His plan of salvation clearly, and that He operates through covenant, which is the highest form of faithfulness. The Bible shows us how He has obligated Himself through the establishment of the covenant to fulfil the promises found in His Word. Our response then is to have faith in Him. We should establish our faith in His written Word (Logos) and in what He promises us personally through His Word (Rhema) as we walk closely with Him.

There is a significant difference between knowing God and merely knowing of God. We can know of God through Bible stories and theological lectures without truly knowing Him. Similarly, we might have grown up in a Christian family, listened to Bible stories in church, and even attended mission school, yet still don’t know God because we only know of Him through second-hand information. Lastly, if we attend church services and merely listen to sermons without applying the truth to our lives, we remain at the stage of knowing about Him.

To know God, we need to have a personal relationship with Him—one established by accepting Christ as our Lord and Saviour and cultivated by spending time in prayer, reading His Word, and journalling what we have prayed for and how God is speaking to us daily. When we apply His Word in our daily lives, our faith grows.

We will know God when we step out in faith to take God’s Word as gospel truth, and when we step out in faith in response to His will for our lives after we have surrendered our lives to Him. There will be constant interaction with Him as we walk in His will.

Reflection: Do you have a personal relationship with God, and how is God revealing Himself to you right now so you can trust Him more?

Sermon Series：Agreeing with the Word of God