He knows our need
To our weakness is no stranger
As I’ve been preparing for our upcoming Christmas service, that line above jumped out to me from the song O Holy Night. There’s many ways you can use the verb “to know”. You can know a fact, be aware that something’s happening, or know how to fix something. You can also know a feeling based on your experience with it (pain, pleasure, happiness) or know a person through developing a relationship with them. In this song, I think the word “know” is much more than simple awareness of our need. Jesus knows our need from experience, because He was born on earth as a human being. He experienced firsthand what it was like to live on earth with all of our limitations and imperfect relationships. At Grace Christian Church, we talk a lot about how we have been created with needs that only God can fill, but Christ’s birth and human experience goes above and beyond because it makes His knowledge of us extremely personal.
Being known by God will transform your life. Mary, when it was revealed to her that she was carrying and would give birth to Jesus, said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.” – Luke 1:46-48
Can you imagine how Mary felt when she realized that God has chosen her to carry the baby Jesus? She must have felt incredibly blessed and known by God. But the same is true for us as well. If you have put your trust in Jesus Christ as your life, you also “carry” the Lord Jesus Christ; He has chosen to make His home in your heart (Ephesians 3:17). We can’t get any more known than that!
To our weakness is no stranger
Being known by God means that He knows our weaknesses and every area in which we struggle. It can be hard to accept that God is already fully aware of our struggles, yet still loves and delights in us. It can be even harder to accept the fact that we can’t do anything about our weaknesses, but that’s exactly what God wants us to realize. Hebrews 2:17-18 says: “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”
Every day I get tempted to sin. Sometimes, it’s difficult to stop and sort out the lies from the truth when everything’s coming at you at the same time. But there’s one thing I can always rest in – I am known by God. When Jesus came to earth as a baby, He essentially stepped into my human experience, felt the limitations of my mind and body, and lived a perfect life in the midst of it all. Why did He do that? Among other things, it was to know me. He knows what I experience, and now He shows me that He’s the only one that can deal with my weaknesses. He lives in me and says, ‘Stop trying to do everything yourself. I know you and I’ve done it, so let me live through you!’
As you hear and sing this song O Holy Night this Christmas season, let it remind you of just how known you are by God. Celebrate the baby Jesus who was born to save the world, but also celebrate the fact that God knows you. Let that reality transform your life.
Aaron Louie
Elder, Worship Leader
Grace Christian Church
