God only knows...

    I recently heard a song by "For King and Country" entitled “God Only Knows.” Just the words alone, “God only knows,” speak volumes and truly impacted me. I find myself thinking about the reality that many times, God sees, knows and understands when no one else does. That’s His job after all. We may feel lonely and misunderstood at times; we may even be afraid of what people might think about us and how we might be treated. But God knows and understands the heart when no one else can and He loves us anyway…
Part of the chorus of the song says:
    God only knows what you’ve been through
    God only knows what they say about you
    God only knows the real you
    But there’s a kind of love that God only knows
    I think here about different people in the Bible, specifically in the New Testament. The woman with the issue of blood comes to mind (Mark 5:25-34). She spent twelve years in relative isolation because of her blood condition. Imagine being consistently rejected and misunderstood. She was human like everyone else after all, and with feelings, but most would have been more concerned with the reality that she was ceremonially unclean. As a result, loneliness may have been her portion for years. Yet, when she touched Jesus’ clothes, He did not shrink from her like others might have done. He called her out but not to embarrass her. I believe that was His way of publicly removing the veil of rejection and isolation she had been submitted to. God knew and saw way beyond her ceremonial uncleanness. He saw a person who needed love just like everyone else. 
    What about blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52)? He tried getting Jesus’ attention when he heard He was passing by, but the crowd tried to shut him up. They didn’t think he was important enough to be noticed by the Master. But Bartimaeus was desperate. He was persistent and went after his healing. Jesus could have ignored him too. But He didn’t. Bartimaeus was important enough for Jesus to choose to notice, even when others tried to make him invisible.
    Imagine if the woman with the issue of blood had given up on her healing and not bothered to try Jesus. She would have missed it and her story would not be in the Bible to encourage others. Imagine if Bartimaeus had allowed people’s words and attitude to shut him up. He too would have missed his healing and lost the opportunity to encourage others with his testimony.
    Imagine if you were to listen to others, to your situation, to the challenge you’re facing, there would be no victory, discouragement would continue and you would have no testimony with which to encourage someone else. But, imagine if you were to keep your eyes on Jesus, the One who knows the real you, and who loves you anyway. Then, the  impossible could become possible. In Jeremiah 32:27 God says: "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" God is not moved by our imperfections or scars or challenges. In fact, these are what He uses to show who He really is, to show His power and ability to handle the greatest of difficulties. 
    So, no matter what you may be faced with today, just remember that God only knows... He alone sees and knows what’s really going on on the inside of you. He is not turned off by who you are or what you may have done. There is no battle you’re going through, that will be too difficult for Him to handle. God is too big, too powerful, too loving a God to reject anyone who comes to Him. Just like the father running to meet his long lost son on his return home, just so God is eagerly reaching out to you to love you, to encourage you, to help you. After all, as the song says: But there’s a kind of love that God only knows…
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God loves you. Period. God is not turned off by who you are, what you have done or what you are going through. God sees, knows and cares and is more than willing and able to take you through anything you may be facing. 

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