Known by God
Galatians 4:9
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again?
World English Bible
Paul makes a subtle but profound correction here. The Galatians thought their spiritual journey was about them coming to know God. Paul says the deeper truth is that they have come to be known by God. The emphasis is not on our searching but on His finding. Not on our reaching up but on His reaching down.
This matters because our sense of identity is often built on what we know, what we have accomplished, or what we have discovered. But the Christian life begins not with our discovery of God but with His knowledge of us. Before we ever sought Him, He knew us. Before we understood the gospel, He was drawing us toward it. The initiative has always been His.
And because God knows us—truly, completely, without illusion—we are set free from the exhausting work of performing for His approval. You do not need to prove yourself to God. He already knows your weaknesses, your doubts, and your struggles, and He called you anyway. There is nothing you can reveal that would cause Him to change His mind.
Paul's question to the Galatians is pointed: Why would you go back? Why return to the weak and worthless principles you left behind? When you know that the God of the universe knows you and claims you as His own, what could the old life possibly offer? Today, rest in the truth that you are not just seeking God—you are known by Him.
Reflect
- Do I tend to think of my faith more as my search for God or as God's pursuit of me?
- What "weak and worthless principles" am I tempted to return to instead of resting in God's knowledge of me?
- How does being fully known by God—weaknesses and all—change the way I relate to Him?
Pray
Praise God that He knows you fully and loves you completely. Ask Him to free you from the need to perform or prove yourself, and to help you rest in the security of being known by the One who made you.