This I Know Study – Week 1

This I Know – Week 1

A Known God (pages 17-53)

Acts 17:16-34 & Isaiah 44:12-23

Breanne: The way the author of this study articulates these common experiences and gives common vocabulary about this gap that we feel in the unknown is so good.

What can we know about God?

The beautiful thing about God is that He cannot be contained. In our culture there is a lot of discussion on this tension. I can know Him, and know Him personally but then He is always bigger. I want God to be like this. I don’t want to control Him. We can’t just put Him in a box and wrap Him up, but at the same time I can know Him for who He is.

We looked at how so many times we have this unknown part of our lives and we fill in this gap. We create idols in this gap in our lives. We want you to see into our own processes to see what it looks like for the idols we have in our lives.

What are your go-to idols to fill in these gaps?

Lauren: Money – lack of money or too much. Money could solve these problems I think and give stability. Capabilities. I want to be seen as capable and able. Some people see it at leadership but often times it is a pride issue I struggle with.

Lisa: Information & knowledge. If I can just know, then I can prepare versus trusting God. I always have a back up plan. When something is actually outside of my schema (Like when a car crashes through your house in the middle of the night) I walk so much better through a situation like that. It is easier to trust God in the true unknown. When there is an expectation for me to have a response I struggle to fill in gaps with an idol versus trusting God.

Julie: Control. When I retired last year I had in my mind what things would look like. When things didn’t turn out how I wanted, that became an idol. Dreams, expectations and hopes.

Breanne: Consumerism. A measuring cup that can fix a problem – it links the unknown to the known and fills in that gap – a product or something that is good. Preparedness or efficiency in that. Finding moments when you don’t have a plan, you get feedback that those moments actually go much more gracious. I do love to fix things though.

So what are we actually fearing in the unknown?

Lauren: If I know the end part, the how long – I can do that. It is when God says trust me. That is scary to me. It ties together to my idol of being capable.

Breanne: It is about the journey and about me being the knower but it is really about trusting God to be the knower.
Julie: I don’t want things to be hard, I want to be comfortable. There are no verses about being comfortable but rather God being the comforter.

How do you feel your idols have changed or evolved through your life?

Lisa: In some ways they are the same but they just take on new form. Identity idol came out in work but at work it was showcased so it “looked” better and I didn’t see it as an idol but then as a mom it became full circle that it was an idol and there was heart work to do.

Breanne: First married – idol became identity of performing to show people I could handle it. Then with kids, vulnerability came out especially with kids’ health and injuries. This flared up all sorts of idol making factories. Not being able to control things was a huge shift of anxiety and worry.

Julie: Women’s bible study has allowed the bible and my community to impact me and change my perspective and kept me grounded through my life. I still have the struggles but I have women praying for me and carrying my burden. God & Holy Spirit work in my life but it the community that has walked me through idols.

Breanne: Often idols aren’t things I have identified myself but it was others that have been able to point them out. To me they have seemed reliable and comfortable.

What do we know?

Our unknown, these gaps we have experienced – they are held by a known God. And this known God is not just a cold experience but an alive experience!