To Know

Do you know God?

A few years ago I would have emphatically and confidently responded to this question with, “Yes!”  You see, if there had been boxes to check, all of mine had check marks in them.  I went to church every week, always held a current temple recommend, served well in my callings, attended every ward function, and never missed Stake or General Conference.  I was a good little soldier...then my life completely fell apart.

It’s okay to be wherever you are in your relationship with God or whatever you identify as your Higher Power. Being able to observe yourself honestly is vital to our journey together. If we are to understand what ministering is all about, we must catch the vision that there might be more to knowing God than we may have previously considered.

Right along those lines, how well do you know Jesus Christ?  That question brings this passage to my mind from the New Testament, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23). The JST offers this chilling translation of verse 23, "And then will I say, Ye never knew me" (emphasis added). When I discovered that JST after growing up hearing the other version, it cut me to the core. Of course Christ knows me! I am the one who didn't know Him---even with all my boxes had check marks in them!

The Hebrew word for “know” is “yada`.”  Although yada` has several definitions, one is “to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially.”  Although in English we may refer to knowing someone like we may “know” the president of the United States or a famous actor, that isn’t the same kind as to yada`-know.  Yes, we “know” those famous or well-known people.  That is why I thought I knew God and Jesus Christ before. I was familiar with Them. I was aware of Them. Yet to yada`-know means a personal experience with someone, and it is the level of knowing that is needed as we rise up to the call of ministering.

Yada`-know is the kind of know used in this familiar verse from Psalms 46:10 (and repeated again in D&C 101:16), “Be still and know that I am God." Notice it doesn’t say surf the internet and know God.  It doesn’t say rush around and know God. It doesn’t even say find someone who knows God and know God through that person.

How can we expect to point others to God through Jesus Christ when we ourselves don’t know Them yet? I have learned that to have a personal relationship with God, we must learn to be still.

Although the connotation in English of the words “be still” describes well what we need to do in this process of coming to truly know God through Christ, there is also a Hebrew word for “be still.” It is “raphah” and it means “sink, relax.” I really like the visual picture that definition paints! As I desire to know God and not just know of Him, I must sink or relax. I’m not going to find Him in my hurried rush or pushing my own will or agenda in what I think needs to be done. We will explore both English and Hebrew meanings because I believe can learn something from both languages as we seek to becoming better at ministering effectively.

Can you see that the phrase “be still” isn’t a passive one? When God says it to us, He isn’t asking us to stop completely in our tracks and stare blankly at the wall so we can put a checkmark in that box. It requires action, but a different kind than the fast-paced, busy world nudges us to engage in.


This invitation to be still, or raphah, may come in consequence of our own choices, the choices of others, or simply because we live in a fallen world where people get sick, things fall apart, or the natural laws take effect.  Our opportunity to be still can also come as the conscious choice we make to surrender to this process.  Regardless of how the invitation to be still has come to you, whether you feel like you had a choice in it or not, it is where our journey together begins.  Raphah beckons for us to take off the mask of pretense and relax our rigid soldier-stance into authenticity.

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