Knowing God or Knowing About God
June 13, 2026
The Dividing Line of Relationship
Most people do not truly know God. They know what they have been told, what they have read, or what they have heard repeated over time. Their knowledge of God is real in the sense that it exists, but it remains intellectual—formed in the mind, not established in the heart. It is possible to believe in God and yet live as though He is distant, abstract, or largely uninvolved. Many grow up being told there is a God, but if we are honest, we are not always sure how deeply we believe it, because our lives do not consistently reflect it.
Much of what passes for faith is inherited belief rather than personal encounter. We accept the idea of God long before we experience the reality of Him. As a result, belief often becomes something we carry rather than Someone we know. This kind of faith may shape our opinions, but it rarely reshapes our desires, reactions, or daily decisions. It allows us to acknowledge God while still remaining inwardly independent from Him.
For many, the relationship they have with God—if it can be called that—is rooted more in fear than in love. God is seen as an authority to be respected, a judge to be avoided, or a rule-giver to be obeyed, rather than a Father to be known. Obedience becomes a way to stay out of trouble instead of a response of affection. Prayer becomes a duty instead of a conversation. Worship becomes an activity instead of an expression of relationship.
Fear can produce compliance, but it cannot produce intimacy. It may keep someone aligned outwardly, but it does not draw the heart near. This is why so many believe in God yet feel distant from Him. They know about Him, but they do not know Him for Himself. They know His expectations, but not His heart. They know what He requires, but not what He delights in.
The deeper question is not whether we believe in God, but whether we want Him. Not what we want from Him, but whether we desire Him simply because He is God. How many truly love God—not for protection, provision, or blessing—but because they want to know Him, be with Him, and walk with Him? How many would still seek Him if there were no immediate benefit attached?
Knowing God requires more than agreement. It requires presence. Relationship is formed where time is given, attention is offered, and the heart is opened. This is why slowing down matters. When we sit quietly before God, when we remove distractions, when we write, reflect, and listen, something happens within us. The mind begins to quiet. The soul becomes aware. Space is created for God not just to be thought about, but to be encountered.
God has never desired to be known only by information. Scripture, teaching, and truth are meant to lead us somewhere—to relationship. When knowledge stops at the intellect, it produces familiarity without transformation. But when knowledge moves into experience, it reshapes how we live. We begin to act as though God is real because He is no longer an idea; He is present.
The invitation has always been the same. God does not ask us to master theology before we meet Him. He asks us to come, to slow down, to seek Him with honesty, and to allow love to replace fear. When we begin to know God in this way, obedience changes, prayer deepens, and faith becomes lived rather than merely stated.
The question that remains is simple, but searching: Do we know God—or do we only know about Him? And are we willing to move from fear-based belief into a love-formed relationship that actually transforms the way we live?
