Knowledge vs. Action

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:2-3

When I am struggling and feeling as if I am lacking in grace and peace, I want experience. I want God to swoop down and be active in my life. Do something miraculous. Show His hand fantastically. I just want to see powerful evidence of Him and His presence in my life. And, if I am really honest about it all, I want whatever He does to be beneficial to me. That will bring peace, right?

Wrong. And in His infinite wisdom, He knows it!

That doesn’t mean God never works in my life. He does. All the time. But, He does it in a way that produces growth, not selfishness. He acts for His glory rather than for me to become a spoiled child.

What I need for grace and peace is not miraculous intervention. Instead, I need growth in knowledge and understanding of who He is. He has already proven Himself time and again throughout history. I need to know that. He has already sent His Son to give me everything I could ever need. I need to truly understand that. I need to live it.

The more I grow in an intimate knowledge of God and Jesus Christ my Lord, the more I grow in grace and peace, regardless of the nature of my circumstances. I am challenged to trust more in His nature than in His actions. May I trust in His profound love for me and His promises of eternal perfection. And in the process, may I truly know the peace that comes from such trust.