Going Through the Motions

"Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name...'" and "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers."
Matthew 7:22-23 (NIV)

My freshman year of college was the darkest valley of my life. A philosophy professor who is an atheist began to dismantle everything I thought I believed, and I nearly lost my faith entirely. 

The person who pulled me through was a sophomore named Richard. He was devout and pastored the church I attended during his junior year of college. He got up at 5 AM every morning to read his Bible by candlelight, the way Martin Luther did it. He never dated once in four years. If ever there was a genuine believer, it was him.

Or so I thought.

Years later, I walked past a man with long hair and a scraggly beard sitting outside the Baptist Student Union. He looked up and said, "You don't know who I am, do you?" It was Richard. He went to seminary and lost his faith. "I'm an atheist," he says. "I don't believe in God."

Richard preached great messages. He prayed great prayers. But a visual demonstration alone is not a sign of salvation. Jesus says in Matthew 7:22 that calling Him Lord and prophesying in His name is not the same thing as knowing Him.

But relationship is still available. It starts by receiving God for who He is and not editing down to a more comfortable version. That means accepting His gentle correction when your anger gets the better of you. It means letting His Word rebuke your indifference instead of skimming past it. And it means sitting with the holiness of God when all you want to do is focus on His grace (again).

And then you need to get honest back. Bring Him the frustration you feel with the life you thought you'd have by now. Confess the exhaustion of pretending everything is fine when it isn't, and share the grief over that relationship you've nearly given up on.

That's how you actually get to know someone. Once you stop going through the motions and start showing up honestly, with Him and before Him, you'll get to know Him. And that's what you were looking for all along.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that You want to know me. Teach me how to walk with You, to talk with You and know You truly. I don't want to go through the motions or try to serve you. But to know You. In Jesus' name, Amen.