“Stand back from God, like He’s only some holy smoking mountain, and you can only know about God. To know this God you will have to stay close enough to touch Him. Close enough to touch, to trace every word, every line, from His Word. . . . Then, and only then, after you’ve touched Him, experienced God, encountered God, do you know God.”- Ann Voskamp
“And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love [hesed-lovingkindness] and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know [yada] the LORD.”- Hosea 2:19-20 (ESV)
Ann Voskamp continues Chapter 4 of WayMaker as she talks about two types of knowness. First, there’s a knowness that’s an intellectual knowness of acknowledgement. Second, there’s an intimate yada-knowness of attachment. Hence, Abraham Henschel defines yada as “an act involving concern, inner encouragement, dedication, or attachment to a person.”
In addition, Ann exhorts, feel comfortable enough to question and doubt, slam and slash, rail and flail with fury. However, Ann counsels, keep close enough to God to keep pounding on His chest. But never withdraw enough that you fail to know Him or draw His heart by heart. Because that’s a truly hellish position.
In conclusion, Ann underscores, if you don’t yada God, you depart from God. To say you know God, you must obey and go the way of God. Ann explains:
“To obey God is our way of laying out the welcome mat for God to come know all the chambers of our heart intimately, to know how our heart is for Him. Still, turn sit, hunger, linger, long to intimately yada-know God’s heart, and let God yada-know all of your heart, and you explore the terrain of His heart, and He explores yours, and you find life isn’t about a way to a destination but about a way to travel, a way to be wholly known and still wholly loved.”
Today’s question: What Scriptures help you stay close enough to touch Him? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Some kind of fruitfulness”
