The God who Understands

Throughout the Bible, we read many names of God: the God who sees, the God who hears, the Almighty God, etc. In Genesis 22 we are told the story of when Abraham was told to go sacrifice his only son, Isaac. He, indeed, did go – but just before the knife slashed, and Angel of the Lord stayed his hand and provided another sacrifice, a ram. Right after this seemingly unnecessary event, God says “NOW I know that you love (fear) me…” This word “know” in Hebrew is related to EXPERIENCE. It’s almost as if God himself is experiencing the struggle with Abraham…

I’ve often wondered about the story of Job. How, after his trials, the Lord replenished his cattle and wealth and children…it seems so sterile. Again, when David was tempted with Bathsheba, God said “I would have given you more wives if you had asked.” It’s as if He doesn’t see the difference.

Perhaps he doesn’t. We so often interpret things from OUR perspectives, but God is the Father of all & lives through eternity. Like an earthly father, He loves all His children the same and death is nothing more than a step into eternity to Him. He sees it all: the whole span. Correctly. It is we who have the limited vision. But, interestingly, I could not find a name for God that meant “God who understands”…

But then came Jesus. He walked where we walked. He spoke as we spoke. He hungered and thirsted as we do, and was tempted as we are. When his best friend died? JESUS WEPT. I now think that is a very poignant verse. Perhaps it was the first time God “got it” – our perspective, that is. Perhaps, for the first time, He felt the distance and separation of death as He was stuck on this side of the veil. It was so overwhelmingly awful He even brought His friend back to life!

I could not find a name for God that means “a God who understands”…until Jesus. The Bible calls Jesus our ADVOCATE and MEDIATOR – one who UNDERSTANDS enough to explain our perspective to the Father. Our God is not now merely a God who sees and hears, but He is also a God who UNDERSTANDS! A God who has walked the road we travel, felt the emotions we feel, a God who has stood at the grave of a friend and WEPT DEEPLY for the time of waiting for reunion. There is no other God who can claim this. Praise be to God who does not stand afar in single perspective judgement, but provides an advocate, an attorney who has BEEN HERE and DONE THIS, and stands ready to eagerly plead our case!

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