But you do not know Me….

For those who don’t know me, I’m extremely keen for God. I’m like a Labrador that’s excited for anything and everything to do with their master. It doesn’t matter the activity, they are just happy to get out and spend time with the person who looks after them. 

Thats what I am like but with God. Anything that He points me towards; I am all in. If it aligns with what the Bible say’s then I am also in. Basically if there is even a scent that God is there, count me in! So this Friday I had been invited to join with outreach and discipling some young believers in Christ – what an exciting opportunity to see God move!! So of course I said “Yes and Amen, count me in!”. 

In the past I have found that God tends to take me on runs whenever He has a lesson or revelation He wants to give to me, so when He asked me to go for a run before going on outreach, one could say that I was quite excited. Thoughts and wonders about what God would reveal to me was racing through my mind, would it be some prophetic words? Perhaps some insights about His Word to share? Perhaps there would be some healing He wanted to talk to me about? With these thoughts running through my mind, I laced up my trainers and said “alright God let’s do this!” 

I set out onto the roads and chased the sea breeze as I ran toward the direction of Kite beach. When I was younger, I used to be able to run a five minute mile. So I tend to start with a frustration towards how slow I am running and how much I am struggling compared to memories of my youth. I very quickly let go of these emotions and give myself up to God and let Him guide me. In my current season, cardio and runs are definitely part of Gods teaching within my life; of learning how to let go of wanting things to be the way I want them to be versus letting them be as they are and embracing His will. 

Once I settle into a stride, I just listen to Him telling me left, right, straight and I just speak to Him, giving Him thanks and praise for this precious time with Him to build relationship*. Now let me add that we are very blessed to have seen demons flee, miracles of healing, and prophetic come true, so this bible verse is always on my mind. I am very much well aware that apostolic ministry and power is not a guaranteed entrance into heaven! 

This jog very quickly takes a turn into a stomach wrench. At the point when I am thanking Him for this relationship time, He asks me a question, “Eloy am I in everyone?” Instantly I say, “Yes God, we are all made in Your image.” He lets me sit in silence for a few hundred metres, then He asks me, “How do you get to know me?” Instantly my mind goes to feeding the poor clothing the naked, because thats what His word says**. So I reply, “Well by being out here with You now, by going out and doing your works and by helping those people in need.” 

In my mind I’m expecting a happy smiley face sticker, a spiritual high five or a Fatherly well done. Instead I got a sucker punch. Yep thats right, God got me right in the stomach and hit me in the feels. How did He do this? Well He said one statement, “Do you know me in your wife?”……. Check mate. God wins (He always wins just incase you are wondering). Since the Covid-19 lockdown started more than 3.5 months ago, me and Danielle have not been on a date night or spent any quality time together, just me and her. Everything has been towards Gods work or spending time being overwhelmed with work or spending time in prayer or studying His word. I had let the love and relationship with my wife slip down. What came next was a beautiful set of revelations from God. He revealed to me, that getting to know Him extends past the scope I was focusing in. As His children, yes we get to know Him by connecting to the Bible, yes we get to know Him by reading anointed authors, yes we get to know Him by being obedient to His will, yes we get to know Him by looking for Him. But, we also get to know Him by building relationship with those around us. He told me, I have to remember to build relationship with those around me and get to know Him through the people closest to me.

We see Jesus walk this out, that after sharing within the court temples He would withdraw and intimately explain to His disciples. Jesus did not continually keep on preaching, healing the sick and casting out demons. No. He also took time out to stop and spend time with those who were closest to Him. I am sure during the final passover meal He could have spent it with any household in Jerusalem, only earlier that day the whole city was throwing palm branches down before Him, but instead He withdrew to spend it in privacy with the 12 He was closest too. He intimately knew His disciples, right down to knowing their heart desires and interceding in prayer for them. Those He spent His time with were His family, they were His brothers and sisters.

The Lord challenged me and then said, “How well do you know Me within those closest to you?”…… At this point I understood why I was feeling so tired lately, why I was struggling to get up in the mornings, why I was feeling so drained. I had been neglecting my family life. My focus had become on Gods work, catching up on my work and that was it. Because my wife is a strong, strong woman of God (I am truly blessed and thank God for having a Godly wife) I had assumed and tied in doing the will of the Father as spending time with my wife. Sadly these are not the same thing. By neglecting the relationship with my wife I was also in part neglecting a part of Jesus, the part of Jesus that is also within her.

What are the big take away points for us all? Getting to know God happens through many, many modalities and we should not limit God by saying it is only through one way that we know God. He created EVERYTHING and everyone is made in His image, which means He is EVERYWHERE. We should interact with everything and everyone around us, for all we have to do is but ask and He will reveal Himself to us. That getting to know Him is also getting to know this around us. It is about balance, we should not get so tied up in doing the wonderful works for His kingdom that we forget to do the wonderful works of being His representative in our home life. A wise person once told me:

1. God
2. Family
3. Work

It can become very very easy to forget number two, especially when everyone in your family is also God centred. My big revelation from this run, was to make sure that I get to know Jesus in my wife and to make sure that I get to know Jesus in my brothers and sisters. It is a vital part of getting to know Him and walking out the path that He showed us.

*Matthew 7:22-23 
**Matthew 25:44-45