Can I Know God?

You Can Know God

I believe everyone can know God personally, but I didn’t come to that conclusion quickly or easily. I was born in 1938 in the United States and grew up in a loving family. My father worked hard to build a small manufacturing business to help people heat their homes. This fledgling business provided for my mother, two sisters and me. I decided to follow my father into engineering, attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). I now realize I was searching for God during this time. Even though I had grown up with a church background, I had many unanswered questions: Is it possible to have a personal relationship with God? Is the Bible true? How do I find my way?

Everyone can know God personally.

There Will Be Struggles

After graduating from college and working for three years as an engineer in the aerospace industry, I joined my dad in the family manufacturing business. It was a very special time, more meaningful than I had ever imagined. But it ended in heartbreak just over a year later when my father died suddenly while driving to work, the victim of a heart attack at age 67. Not only did I have to struggle with the immense grief of his loss, but I also needed to lead the family business at age 26, well before I was ready. Then, a few months later, our factory caught fire and nearly burned to the ground. These two events, one right after the other, left me badly shaken. I no longer felt I was in control, or that I could depend on myself to make important decisions.

I no longer felt I was in control.

God is in control

Up to this point, I felt confident managing my own life. But I began to realize that nobody is truly in control of everything. I concluded that God alone is in control, and that he wanted to guide my steps. To my chagrin I realized that each time I took over, I was assuming the place of God himself, and that this was actually a form of sin. I grew to understand that sin is going against what God wants for us. It has infected every person going right back to the first created human being, Adam. We all labor under sin’s presence. It may seem strange, but I was relieved to discover that many of our struggles—anger, fear, desire to control—all stem from our sin nature. And God himself has provided a remedy!

I was assuming the place of God himself.

Taking a leap of faith

God’s remedy was to send Jesus, his Son, to this world. Jesus was the only person to live a life without sin. Yet in spite of being sinless himself, he took the punishment that was meant for sinners by dying on a cross in our place. He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day, defeating death and promising eternal life to those who believed in him. Following my dad’s death and the fire, the pieces began coming together, connecting the dots between God, sin and Jesus. But understanding the essential facts wasn’t enough. Although I considered myself a logical person, I realized I wasn’t going to make a life-change by logic alone. I needed to take a leap of faith. Even though I didn’t know whether I would be able to measure up or change my ways, I made a decision to follow Jesus. I prayed, “God, I don’t believe I need to have everything figured out. I trust you, and I want to be fully yours. I give myself to your care.” I admitted my sinful condition, my need for him, and I accepted his gift of forgiveness.

I accepted his gift of forgiveness.

A new kind of peace

When I put my faith in Christ, everything changed. That doesn’t mean my circumstances instantly improved, but I experienced a new kind of peace. I was certain that God had accepted me just as I was—my intellectual barriers, my sense of unworthiness and all. I hadn’t earned it. I didn’t deserve it. But he took my cautious step of faith and, in return, welcomed me with open arms. Will you do what I did so many years ago? Will you put your faith in Jesus Christ? Surrendering to God is not about earning his love or being a good person. It is coming to him in our broken condition and placing our confidence in him with our whole heart and life. Jesus is the only one who can save us from our sins, offering peace and new life. He is our pathway to becoming whole. If you would like to know Jesus personally, you can ask him by praying like this:

"Jesus, I need you. I am sorry for the life I’ve lived apart from you. Thank you for dying on the cross to take the penalty for my sins. I believe you are God’s Son and I now receive you as my Lord and Savior. I commit my life to follow you."