In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
God desires for us to know Him – to understand who He is and what He is about. But because He is not like us (Num. 23:19, Isa. 55:8), a communication gap exists between us. We cannot visibly see Him, though He is present everywhere. We cannot audibly hear Him, though He hears and knows everything we say, do and even think. God does not communicate directly with us through any of our physical senses, and yet the psalmist challenges us to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” (Ps. 34:8).
How can we come to know a God who appears to be beyond human comprehension? The answer lies in His “Word” – because in one form or another, everything we need to know about God has been communicated to us (2 Pet. 1:3). And if we are keen to observe, we can even see a beauty consistent with His character in the very way He communicates… in the progressive nature and scope of His communication.
Initially, through the power of His spoken word (Gen. 1), God reveals His handiwork in the form of creation – a visible, tangible world that displays the general character of the Creator to every creature on earth (Ps. 19:1-6). By simple observation, we learn that God is good and powerful, that He loves beauty and order, that His attention to detail is exquisite, and that He is glorious.
Many hundreds of years later, through the power of His written word, God reveals His holiness in the form of the Law – the Ten Commandments written by the “finger” of God Himself on visible, tangible clay tablets and given to Moses (Deut. 9:10). His written word was also delivered through the prophets (2 Pet. 1:21), who wrote it on Old Testament scrolls. This specific revelation of God was particularly directed to His chosen people, the Jewish nation.
Then in the “fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4-7), through the power of His living Word, God reveals Himself in the form of His Son – visible, tangible God in the flesh (John 1:14). Jesus completed the revelation of God to us (Matt. 5:17), opening the door of the gospel to the world (John 3:16). The apostle John explicitly refers to Jesus as “the Word,” (John 1:14), as He is God’s ultimate communication of Himself to us.
To what end?
So that mankind could see, hear, touch, taste, and smell (both literally and by faith) His luminous “glory.” So that we could know God as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). And so that, in knowing Him, we could be given the “the power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12). Christ, The Word of God, closed the gap of communication between us and God (I Tim. 2:5) … that we may know Him.
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Sovereign God,
I am thankful to live in a time where the whole of Scripture – both the Old and New Covenants – are readily available for learning about You. But all too often I overlook all Your wonder and glory continually on display all around me in nature, Your “spoken” revelation. Whether I study the stars in our universe, consider the inner workings of the human body, or simply take a moment to appreciate the beauty of Your design in a simple autumn leaf, I come away with the same awe and praise of a Creator who is so far and away higher and mightier than I am. Keep me in remembrance of this truth, Lord, that I may join with the heavens in continual praise of Your glory!
“The heavens declare the glory of God …” (Ps. 19:1)
Not only do You desire that I know You, but if I know my own heart, my singular prayer echoes the same desire – “that I may know You” (Phil. 3:10). At the same time, endless distractions pull me in opposing directions so that before I realize it, I have forgotten that You are not only my nearest, but also my most essential, environment (Acts 17:24-28). Keep my eyes and ears of faith supple to Your Word in every sense and form it takes, so that I may grow in grace and knowledge of who You are and, in turn, You may be glorified in my life as others see Your image visibly reflected in me.
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Pet. 3:18)
Considering the extent to which You communicated Yourself to us in the person of your Son, I am reminded of how it grieved Jesus when those who heard His teachings and saw His miracles missed the message entirely. He even questioned those in His inner circle: “Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?” (Mark 8:18). Open my eyes wide, Lord, that I may not miss all the “wonderful things” in Your Word (Ps. 119:18). Tune my ears to the frequency of the “Word of God” (Luke 11:28). Help me embrace the psalmist’s challenge to “taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Ps. 34:8). In response to Your Word, Lord, I answer with young Samuel,
“Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam. 3:10, NIV)
- You, Lord Jesus, are the First and the Last (Isa. 48:12), Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. In the beginning, You – the Living Word – were with God and that same Word was God. You were in the beginning with God (John 1:1–2).
- You, O Lord, were crucified for me that I may rise again with You to everlasting life. As God, You also became man. By Your incarnate work, You replaced my sentence of death through the old Adam with newness of life. You transformed me into a new creation, to worship You, the second Adam. May it never be that I would rejoice in anything but in Your cross, whereby the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
- I rejoice in the blessed communion which I am called to with You, dear Father, with Your Christ, and with Your holy Church. Christ, the Anointed One, my Savior and Deliverer is now in heaven, exalted at the Father’s right hand. I look forward to spending eternity with Him there.
- O Lord Jesus, the Son of the living God, the same substance as the Father and the very brightness and image of the Father. To You belongs all honor and glory. I adore You, and for Your great and innumerable benefits, I thank You.
Further References for John 1:1
John 5:18, 20:28; Deut. 32:39; Isa. 43:10; Acts 12:22, 20:28; Eph. 5:5
