To Know Him is to Love Him
by Peter Brokaar
Earlier this year a true musical legend passed away- a Jewish-American man named Phil Spector. He influenced the music industry like few others over the course of the last century. Though his personal life was a mess, his legacy in music has brought joy to many millions around the world. I was so touched when I heard the first song he ever wrote and recorded in 1958. The song is called ‘To know him is to love him’ and it is about his dad whom he lost at the tender age of ten to the tragedy of suicide.
Though the story is sad, the words of the song are lovely, and they sum up exactly how I feel about the Lord - ‘To know Him is to love Him’. The more we truly get to know God, the more love springs up in our heart. God is so good, so kind, so wonderful, so everything brilliant that we almost can’t help but love Him in response!
My view is that the most important and exciting journey of discovery we can ever embark on is that of getting to know God more. Jesus told us that He came to show us the Father. God’s expressed desire is that we know Him as He really is. And the enemy’s primary strategy is to obscure the true nature and character of God. Back in the garden of Eden he cast doubt in Eve’s mind about the reliability of God’s word, and the good intentions of our Creator. Today he still does the same the world over.
When we get to eternity, we shall see Him as He really is (1 John 3:2) and what a day that will be! Seeing Him as He truly is – that must be the most transformative experience a human being can ever have. And while we are on earth, to the degree that we get to know Him, we are able to worship, love and obey Him.
Through sin, through the experiences of life, and through the brokenness of this world, we all have varying degrees of distortion in our view of God. We might believe, deep in our hearts, that He is different from who He says He is. The wonderful work of the Holy Spirit can highlight these areas in our hearts and show us where our view of Him is false. Perhaps we feel that He is untrustworthy. Perhaps we believe He is not wholly kind. Maybe we don’t see Him as holy, or as just, or as loving or as caring. It could be that we struggle to see Him as fair, or as merciful or as a Father. Whatever it is, He longs to change us by changing our perception of Him.
Peter Brokaar is Director of Ellel Ministries Scotland and has been there together with his wife Liz since 2005. They have 3 kids, all born in Scotland! In his free time he likes reading, cooking, running and surfing. Being at Ellel Scotland has given him the privilege of getting to know God deeper and sharing that joy with many others.
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