I was reading Your Word today. Which is so amazing when I think about the following verses…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. – John 1:1-2
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
Essentially, I was reading YOU! Not just Your words! The Bible is not just some book of old letters…it IS YOU! Thank You for that!
I have been reading in Matthew. It seemed appropriate to refresh my soul on what You did leading up to Your experience on the cross since this week would have been the week leading up to that point so so many years ago. Almost 2000 right?
Thank You for that too, by the way! I can’t imagine all that you went through that wasn’t recorded in the Word about going to the cross. What a great sacrifice You made for me.
I was reading Matthew 7:21-23 and got to the place where You say this…
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
I underlined the harsh words:
I never knew you.
Then I wrote in the margin:
Don’t ever let me hear You say You never knew me.
The words flowed out of my heart so fast. A plea for You to know me. A reminder to me to let you know me.
I have been blogging for a while now and I have been determined to encourage other wives to be unveiled in their relationship with You and with their husbands. To be transparent and honest. To make themselves truly known so that true intimacy can be experienced. I felt like You guided me as I wrote my book The Unveiled Wife and was specific to include that intimacy means getting to know someone or becoming familiar with them. That definition of intimacy transformed my approach to our relationship and my marriage.
To be known is to let down the walls that guard my heart. To be known is to be vulnerable, which comes with risk. So to be known requires courage. To be known means I can’t hide, anything.
Don’t ever let me hear You say You never knew me.
What seemed more heart wrenching than being sent away from You, is You not knowing me. The Creator of the Universe, God, the King of kings, You, the One who designed life and gave me life, looking into my eyes and telling me,
I never knew you.
The weight of this I cannot shake. The fear of the Lord is with me. The fear of not being known by You is with me. The harsh reality that You will even say this to anyone makes me cringe…but because I know Your truth, I know why You say this. You are a King and You are just and You are Holy. You are also gracious and the choice is mine whether or not I will hear these words. Everyone is given the choice.
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. – Romans 1:19-20
You have revealed Yourself to me. You have made Yourself known. It is on me to respond. It is my choice to let You know me, by having a personal and intimate relationship with You. So, I let down my walls. I lay everything at the foot of Your throne. I am Yours.
As I continued to think about Your Words, I thought about my marriage. The same message applies. I wanted to tell my husband immediately…
Don’t ever let me hear you say you never knew me.
I don’t want to spend any amount of time with my husband and not be intentional about giving him having access to my whole heart. I desire that he knows me…sins, faults, failures and all. I want to let my guard down and let him into the deep places of who I am. I don’t want a lifetime to go by and the person that is closest to me say he never knew me. If my husband doesn’t know me, I am not truly known by anyone.
This is my choice. To be known by my husband is my choice. To be vulnerable requires courage and humility. There is risk. But it is worth it. And the intimacy experienced when I am known is worth it.
Lord,
Help me. I pray I let all my walls down. I hope I can continue to be unveiled. I pray You know me intimately and I spend time knowing You even more. Thank You for giving me Your Word, preserved all these centuries later, so that I may know You. Your truth is powerful and Your grace sufficient. I pray against fear that leads to hiding. I pray against shame and guilt. I pray against the attacks of the enemy to keep me isolated and alone and unknown. I pray I never hear You or my husband say “I never knew you.” Reveal to me how I can make myself known today. Show me how I can make You known to others. May Your will be done in Jesus’ name AMEN!
