This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3 NAS95)
Yes, I take this as a promise to know, interactively, the living and true God through Jesus Christ. From my perspective, this verse points to not only a promise, but interaction with the only true God who is and is revealed in Jesus Christ as the promise.
God awakened me to this verse in August of 1980, and I did not expect it nor ask for it.
I had no idea of the journey God would take me on because of that one interaction, one of many more to come. All I was doing was reading through the Bible in a year, and when I came upon John 17:3, something happened that has no explanation to this date. John 17:3 was emblazoned my interior in such a way that God would use this verse to shape the rest of my life. When whatever happened occurred, I had this verse memorized without memorizing it.
Little did I know that God would take me on a journey, to seminary, to Poland, to Germany, and for all those years reveal to me what it means to interact with Him. What it means to know and recognize those interactions from Him — a mind-boggling and mind-blowing-to-this-day experience of His presence — astounds me. Ecstatic love chasing me! Am I privileged? Am I special? By no means! We are all invited to this party!
As I write these words, I carry deep awareness of a life that has experienced so many things to awaken me to my own interior, to God’s presence with me, and how self-giving and humble God is.
In my moments of pain, or maybe even periods of distress, God has elicited from me conversation, conversation that moved to authenticity, honesty, transparency both emotionally and circumstantially. He kept showing up in sorrow and joy. I wish I could tell the stories.
Through it all His loving hand surgically reshaped and continues to reshape my soul so I can experience, know (as a fact, as reality) Him personally, as love. Not know about it. Know Him through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Each reshaping transforms and expands my capacity to know and experience God and the goodness that He is. Am I without pain? No. However, I am with Him and He is with me. Eternal life, the promise of knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent!
For Reflection:
“So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NAS95)
- What are the memories you can recall from your interactive experience of God?
- What are you noticing of how God is interacting with you currently? How is He shaping your journey with Him?
