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Knowing God Better

                 Have you ever been on a blind date?  If you have, then you know how awkward it is when you know a little bit about someone, but not enough to really know anything about them.

                I think that is how most people are with God.  They know a little bit about him.  For example, they could talk about his love, grace, and forgiveness, but they do not know a lot of the details about who he is and what he is like.  In Psalm 18, David fills in some of the gaps for us.

                This psalm, like many others, celebrates the fact that God rescued David from his enemies.  What makes this one different, though, is that it tells us how God rescued him and why.

                I have always assumed that God rescues me the way I rescue others: reluctantly!  In other words, he will do it, but he is not overly happy about it.  That could not be further from the truth though.  David says, “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears” (verse 6).  He then describes how God tears the heavens open to come to his aid.  Thunder and lightning precede him and the earth shakes (verses 7-15).  In other words, God is not a reluctant rescuer.  You do not have to coerce or convince him.  Rather, he is ready and waiting to come running to your aid!

                Why is that his reaction?  David tells us that too when he says, “He rescued me because he delighted in me” (verse 19).  What a thought! 

                This past spring, I became a grandpa for the first time.  Seeing my granddaughter’s gummy smile melts my heart and I delight in her.  That is how God sees you!  The creator of the universe loves you so much that he would do anything for you. 

                Do you know that God?  A God who will move heaven and earth to run to your defence because he delights in you? 

                Maybe it is time you got to know that God better.

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