Knowing and Trusting

". . . For I know the one in whom I trust . . ."  2 Timothy 1:12

How true are these words?  It is not the fact that I trust Him that I would question, but the comment 'I know the one."  How well do I really know Him, and how well do I need to know Him before trusting Him?  I guess the real issue is not 'trust' but 'know'.  How well do I want to know Him?  How well can I get to know Him?

One of the people I most admire in the bible is Enoch.  Enoch walked with God and became so close to God that he one day walked off with God.  What kind of a relationship did they really have?  Why are we not told more about Enoch?

So, what do I really know about God?

• He is an all loving father.  And how do I know this?  What father, if he did not have an infinite amount of love, would sacrifice his true son for the sins of his adopted children?  Only one who had so much love that in him that it transcends the understanding of man.
• He is the creator; this is something I have no doubts about even if I cannot physically prove it.
• He is forgiving.  This goes back to my first statement about Him being all loving.
• He is all knowing, for why would God even create man if he did not know ahead of time that there would be those who were worth His effort and who would love Him beyond all humanly reason.
• He is trustworthy.  He made a promise to Adam and Eve after they fell that He would send one who would crush the serpent, and He did by sending part of Himself in the form of a son, and then willingly offered that life to save mankind from his sins.
• He loves me; see what He did as a loving father, for if that is not proof of His love for me, than nothing is.  This statement is more than "He is an all loving father" because it pinpoints me specifically.  I feel it is very important to  remember that He Loves Me, not just everybody else because when I look at it that way, I forget that He does these things for me personally not a just some random person.
• He knows me; it says in the bible that He knew us before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:4), and He tells Jeremiah that He knew him before He formed him (Jeremiah 1:5).  If that is true for Jeremiah, then I believe it is true of me also.  Besides, how can you love someone so unconditionally without know them?

This might not be everything that I know for sure, but I believe it is a good start.  I do like how the amplified bible reads: ". . . for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on) . . . " 2 Timothy 1:12.

Is it not true that it is hard to trust those in whom you do not believe or have no acquaintance with or knowledge of?  I really like the term "acquainted with."  The Merriam Dictionary defines 'acquaint' as "to cause to know personally," and is that not what our relationship should be.  We should know our Lord personally; we should have a personal relationship with Him, and when we do, it is much easier for us to trust and believe in Him.