And God is good. He is the standard of good from which we judge things from. He has good thoughts and plans for our lives. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than our ways. Many times, it is difficult for us to believe how the trial and situation we find ourselves in can be good, but this is because we only see a small part of the tableau. Perhaps if only we see what God sees, we would also cheerfully choose His way. God has given us the promise that He will never leave nor forsake us. We can rest in this promise because He fulfils His Word. We need not fear what will happen today or tomorrow. We are not only in good hands; we are in God’s hands!
Mark 4:41 (NKJV) And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
John 17:3 (NKJV) And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Similarly, Jesus revealed Himself to Peter.
Matthew 16:15-16 (NKJV) He said to them, “But who do you say that I am”’ Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
After the Holy Spirit has worked in our hearts and we have received Christ, it does not mean that we know God. We can embark on a journey of getting to know God. We will move from having a knowledge of God to knowing God. We will grow from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity.
But this is no genie-snapping move. It takes work and conscious effort to know God through His revealed Word, especially the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus made it plainly clear to us that He did whatever He saw the Father was doing. Jesus declared and revealed God to us. What God expect of us, how to trust in Him, His character and attributes are all clearly recorded in the Bible. Isn’t it comforting and assuring that we need not deal in guesswork to know the work and character of God?
Every day, we must spend time to seek God through His Word, through prayers, through praises. This is a process that strengthens and fortifies each other. The more we seek God through the Scriptures, the more we know how to pray to him, the more we pray, the more we know God, and the more we know God, we cannot help but fall on our knees and praise Him.
Sermon Series: A Firm Footing (Part 2)
神不是超级英雄
只有当人向我们展示他们自己时我们才能了解他们，我们了解的也只是他们允许我们进入的深度。一旦我们了解了他们，我们就可以通过他们的思想、语言和行为中所透露的线索来更好的认识他们。
有些时候我们认为神就像我们自己一样，但更好、更大、有更多超能力。祂并不是。祂完全不同，祂是绝对的‘存在’，而且是无限的无限。但祂可以为人所知。祂在祂的话语和祂大能的作为中显示祂自己，神是可知的。
神是良善的。祂是良善的标准，我们以此来评判事物。祂对我们的生命有良善的意念和旨意。祂的意念高过我们的意念，祂的道路高过我们的道路。很多时候，我们很难相信我们所遭遇的磨难和环境是好的，但这是因为我们只看到画面的一小部分。也许，只要我们看到神所见的，我们也会欣然选择祂的道路。 神已经给了我们应许，祂总不撇下我们也不丢弃我们。我们可以在这应许中得安息，因为祂成就祂的话语。我们不必担心今天或明天会发生什么。我们不只在可靠的手中，我们是在神的手中！
馬 可 福 音 4:41他 们 就 大 大 的 惧 怕 ， 彼 此 说 ： “这 到 底 是 谁 ， 连 风 和 海 也 听 从 他 了 。”
約 翰 福 音 17:3认 识 你 ─ 独 一 的 真 神 ， 并 且 认 识 你 所 差 来 的 耶 稣 基 督 ， 这 就 是 永 生 。
同样，耶稣向彼得显示了祂自己。
馬 太 福 音 16:15-16 15 耶 稣 说 ： “你 们 说 我 是 谁 ?” 西 门 彼 得 回 答 说 ： “你 是 基 督 ， 是 永 生 神 的 儿 子 。”
圣灵在我们心中作工并且在我们接受了基督之后，这并不意味着我们认识神。 我们可以踏上认识神的旅程。我们将从有神的知识转向认识神。我们将从属灵的婴儿长大成人。
但这不是精灵捕捉的举动。（但这并非一蹴而就, 它需要花功夫和有意识的努力来认识神， 通过神所启示的话语，特别是耶稣的生平和事奉 。耶稣向我们清楚地表明，祂看见父所做的一切，祂也照样做。 耶稣宣告并把神向我们启示。 神对我们所期待的，我们如何信靠祂，祂的品格和属性都清楚地记录在圣经中。 我们不必进行猜测就知道神的作为和品格，这难道不令人安慰和确信？
每一天，我们必须花时间通过神的话语、祷告、赞美来寻求神。 这是一个相互加强的过程。 我们越是通过圣经寻求神，我们就越知道如何向神祈祷，我们祈祷越多，我们对神的了解就越多，而我们对神的了解就越多，我们便不得不屈膝赞美他。
讲章系列：稳固的根基（第二部分）