UN Aware
John 16:3 ESV
John 14:6 NIV
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
2 Peter 1:20-21 ESV
UN Series
I’m often confronted with the thought that I don’t know what I don’t know. The only thing I know is that I don’t know a lot!
I don’t know how the stars were set into space.
I don’t know how all the elements inside the core of the earth were placed there.
I don’t know the truth in every situation.
I do know from John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
I know who knows the truth. John 14:6 tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Still, there are many things I’m not even aware of…
I do spend time meditating every day because it ‘centers’ me in God.
I have a deep desire to listen to God and respond, but Im not always aware what question is the right question.
I attempt to search scripture with a listening ear. I ask the Spirit to guide me because we read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
I listen and search because I believe that scripture is “breathed out by God”.
I listen and search scripture because God has been providing answers for me in scripture since I was a teenager (and folks, that was a long time ago). As UN aware as I am of the right questions to ask, I am aware that God does speak to us through scripture.
When God first called me to go to Seminary, I was 54 years old. I’ve said before that I thought it was a crazy insane idea.
I hid from God because I was afraid.
I hid because I knew it was freakishly hard and it was a very long Master’s program (144 hours).
I hid because I couldn’t see why God wanted me to go to Seminary. I wasn’t aware there was a purpose.
But, even though I said no and I asked God to reconsider and I begged God to change His mind, God did not give up.
God did not give IN.
God did not back down.
So, I finally reluctantly said okay.
I still wasn’t aware why God wanted me to change my whole life.
I’ve said before I thought the acceptance process would take time, but I had a letter of acceptance in my hands within eight hours of sending in my application.
That was in 2007.
One of the first classes I took was Hermeneutics which is defined as being “the branch of knowledge that deals with Interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts.” (Oxford
Languages)
When I took hermeneutics I learned that I know nothing. It felt like I started over from scratch. There were other classes where I realized how much I didn’t know. My professors…all of my professors were incredible, and knowledgeable, and helpful.
The most difficult set of classes I’ve ever taken in college and graduate school was Hebrew. I thought it would kills me. But it didn’t. Slowly and surely, everything I learned changed the way I think. Seminary changed me.
I graduated in 2013.
It was the greatest adventure of my life and now Hebrew is my favorite subject. It’s funny how that works. I thought I knew best then I found out I knew nothing.
God knew. God knew what I needed and God knew what He needed from me.
We read in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
God knew He wanted me to write. God knew what I needed from Seminary and that was to be aware that God knows what I don’t know.
It’s still the same today. God knows what I don’t know about scripture. God knows all the answers. God IS awareness.
The more I study, it seems like the less I think I know. Now, I know that’s okay. I don’t need to know everything…that’s because God knows.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Ask for One Thing
Ask God to teach you one thing about scripture. I’m really excited about this Practice because I LOVE it when the Spirit shows up and teaches me one more thing I didn’t know yesterday!
In God, Deborah