It’s Not Who You Know, But Who Knows You

It’s Not Who You Know, but Who Knows You

The LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”

Exodus 33:17

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

Jeremiah 1:5

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me.

John 10:14

Imagine standing outside the White House as the president of the United States walks by. You call out to him, and while he may look in your direction, he doesn’t know you, so he doesn’t respond to you. So while you may say you know the president, it doesn’t really mean anything unless you have a relationship with him—unless he knows you and chooses to get to know you better.

Similarly, you could never know God if he didn’t choose to know you. He’s the one who initiates the relationship. Even before you were born, God knew your name and loved you personally. God doesn’t relate to us as a nameless, faceless group of people, but as individuals. He knows our names.

So the good news is that God knows you. The bad news is that God really does know you. Every thought, every feeling, every experience—everything you are and do is known by God! In fact, he knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your intentions and motivations that you may not be consciously aware of. He knows your greatest fears, your deepest hurts, and your most cherished dreams. The good news is that God’s love for you is based on knowing the worst about you and choosing to love you anyway. So no discovery can ever stop him from loving you or change his desire to bless you. You don’t have to hide anything from God (as if you could!). He knows you. It’s not about who you know, but about who knows you.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

If you could meet any famous person in the world, who would you choose? What would you want to tell that person?

What does it say about God that he knows his children by name?

Recognizing that God knows you better than you know yourself, how might that affect the way you talk to him about your concerns?