Now What?
Ever had one of those “aha” moments with the Lord?
Probably.
I had one this morning. After several decades of being a Christian, the Lord gave me an earth-shattering, heaven-opening revelation. It came from ,
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
In this passage, Jesus is with His beloved disciples for the last time before the crucifixion. He has been preparing them and now He prays for them to His heavenly Father. The disciples don’t get most of what He says to them…at least at that time. After Christ’s death and resurrection, and especially after Pentecost when they receive the Holy Spirit do they really grasp all that Jesus said to them.
Look, I’m way over 50 so I’ve lived more than half of my life for sure. I’m on the proverbial other side of the hill, and yet I am still beginning to understand an inkling of what God is like and what my life should look like.
As I look back, much of my time has been spent just existing. Paying bills, raising kids, working, serving, without much intentional thought. Not that those things aren’t important. They are. It’s just that they need to have a context. As I think about it, if I had the most important thing first, all those other important roles and jobs would have been clearer and more effective.
Now I’m at a turning point. My kids are grown and the parents who lived with me for over 14 years have gone to be with the Lord. I’ve been trying to get a job, but haven’t been successful.
"Now what?" keeps ringing in my ears.
The answer came this morning—know Him. It’s not that I hadn’t read that verse before, only this morning when I read it; I understood the significance of those words. At least for this stage of my life.
Let me put it this way—think of the person you know the best. I’m thinking of my sweet husband. We will celebrate 35 years in September. I know him better than anyone on this earth. I can tell when he is frustrated and I know what gives him great joy. But often when I ask him what he’s thinking about, he comes up with something I couldn’t have ever guessed.
The fact is, I don’t know what he is thinking because I don’t really know everything about him. For instance, I’m not sure of his favorite color. (Not that it matters.)
I could spend five years talking with him and not know everything about him.
Now think about God.
Think some more.
How about asking Him how He created the bumblebee? That would take a while. Or, ask Him about the laws of physics. (Some of us could have eternity and never understand it.)
What if we asked Him when He was the most pleased, or the angriest, or the saddest?
The ONLY way we can even know God is through Jesus. He threw open the door to heaven and tore apart the veil to the holy of holies! By knowing Jesus, we have access to knowing God.
And says that is eternal life.
That is my now what.
No matter where you are in your life, whether you are in school or in a nursing home, knowing Him is eternal life. We were made for it.
Let me finish with a prayer from the Apostle Paul. I really like the Holman’s Bible translation:
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
So my dear brother and sister in Christ, get a head start on knowing Him. Because that is eternal life, and really, that is true life now.
Copyright © 2017 Pauline Hylton. Used by permission.
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