Are You Getting to Know Jehovah Better?

1. How do we feel when we contemplate Jehovah’s knowledge, wisdom, and accomplishments?

HAVE you ever thought about the depth of Jehovah’s knowledge, the vastness of his wisdom, or the scope of his accomplishments? We are humbled when we think about our Creator. You may feel as did the apostle Paul, who wrote: “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and beyond tracing out his ways are!”​—Rom. 11:33, 34.

2. What proves that we can get to know Jehovah?

² Although we will never know everything there is to know about Jehovah, it is possible, to a certain extent, to get to know what he is like. King David told his son Solomon: “Know the God of your father and serve him with a complete heart . . . If you search for him, he will let himself be found by you.” (1 Chron. 28:9) As the apostle John reminded his fellow Christians centuries later, we have “insight so that we may gain the knowledge of the one who is true.” (1 John 5:20) And Jesus himself said that knowledge of Jehovah is available to “anyone to whom the Son is willing to reveal him.”​—Matt. 11:27.

3. What will we discuss in this article?

³ All who dedicated themselves to Jehovah have already learned many things about him. Yet, we never stop “coming to know” Jehovah. (John 17:3; see study note.) We can always learn more about what makes him happy and how to deepen our trust in him. Let us discuss three questions that all of us should consider no matter how long we have served Jehovah: What does it mean to come to know Jehovah? Why should we continue to get to know him better? And how do we get to know him better?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO COME TO KNOW JEHOVAH?

4. What is involved in coming to know Jehovah?

⁴ We learn what is involved in coming to know Jehovah by considering what he said about the Jews who would return from exile. Jehovah promised: “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah.” (Jer. 24:7) Surely those who returned from Babylon already knew basic facts about Jehovah. But their efforts to come to know Jehovah would need to involve their heart, including their feelings and motives. One reference work puts it this way: “There is a marked difference between knowing about God and knowing God. It is comparable to the difference between reading about love and falling in love.” We need to know more than the fact that Jehovah has a name and that he is God. We want to come to know the Person behind the name.

5. What can we learn from King Josiah regarding what it means to come to know Jehovah?

⁵ As we come to know Jehovah, we learn what makes him happy and what displeases him. To illustrate, consider the example of King Josiah. The Bible says: “In the 8th year of his reign, while he was still a boy, he started to search for the God of David his forefather.” (2 Chron. 34:3) But Josiah did more than study. He acted on what he was learning. Through the prophet Jeremiah, Jehovah said that Josiah “upheld justice and righteousness” and that he defended the afflicted and the poor. Then Jehovah added: “Is that not what it means to know me?”​—Jer. 22:15, 16.

6. As indicated at Psalm 9:10, how will coming to know Jehovah affect us?

⁶ Read Psalm 9:10. The more we come to know Jehovah, the more we come to trust in him. That principle proved true for the apostle Paul. During his final imprisonment and not long before his death, he wrote: “I am not ashamed. For I know the One whom I have believed.” (2 Tim. 1:12) What Paul had learned and experienced during his life moved him to trust in his God implicitly. As a study note on that verse explains: “Paul . . . was confident that Jehovah would remember his faithful life course until ‘that day’ when He would resurrect him.”

WHY CONTINUE TO GET TO KNOW JEHOVAH?

7. After we have been serving Jehovah for many years, what could happen?

⁷ Over time, we may not put as much effort into getting to know Jehovah as we did when we first learned about him. Why not? When reading the Bible on our own or along with others at congregation meetings, we may tend to focus on how the information can help us personally in practical ways or how we can use it to help others. The Scriptures encourage us to do that. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) But the Bible also reveals much about its Author. (Ps. 25:8-10) We should never be so absorbed in how the Bible’s message benefits us or others that we fail to ask ourselves, ‘What does this tell me about Jehovah God?’a

8. What impact will getting to know Jehovah better have on our friendship with him? (Psalm 73:24-28)

⁸ As we get to know Jehovah better, our friendship with him will grow stronger. For example, how do you feel about Jehovah after you do your daily Bible reading, watch a monthly broadcast, or attend an assembly or a convention? We often feel closer to our heavenly Father. Why? Because we have learned more about him. As a result, we are moved to praise and thank him. We feel like the psalmist who meditated on Jehovah’s care for him and who said: “God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.” (Read Psalm 73:24-28.) Every effort we make to get to know Jehovah deepens our gratitude for our priceless friendship with him.

9. When we “take notice of” Jehovah, how will this affect our decisions? Illustrate.

⁹ When we “take notice of” Jehovah​—recalling what we have learned about him and thinking about how our actions affect him—​we will make better decisions. (Prov. 3:5, 6) To illustrate: Many brothers and sisters keep a photograph of their mate on their desk, in their wallet, or on their phone. This helps them to think fondly and often about their mate, to make decisions that they know will please their mate, and to avoid doing anything that would hurt that person. Similarly, the more often we think about Jehovah, the more likely we will be to make choices that please him.​—Ps. 19:13, 14.

10. As we learn about Jehovah, what will we be able to do?

¹⁰ We are made in Jehovah’s image, which gives us the ability to reflect his qualities. (Gen. 1:26) And the more we learn about Jehovah’s qualities, the better we will understand how to imitate him. Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for their failure to show godly qualities. Although they paid close attention to the minor details of the Law, they “disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and faithfulness.” (Matt. 23:23) Unlike those religious leaders, let us do our best to understand how Jehovah’s qualities are reflected in his laws and principles. Doing so will help us to demonstrate those very qualities.​—1 John 4:8, 11.

HOW DO WE GET TO KNOW JEHOVAH BETTER?

11. How did you first come to know Jehovah?

¹¹ Who introduced you to Jehovah? Perhaps you were raised by Christian parents. They likely related Bible accounts that reveal God’s qualities and taught you how the things he created reflect his personality. Or you may have accepted a Bible study from one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Using a study aid, such as the Enjoy Life Forever! book, your Bible teacher helped you to analyze Scriptural accounts and to learn about Jehovah’s appealing qualities by studying the natural world.b (Neh. 8:8; Acts 14:17) Let us consider how we can continue learning about Jehovah.

12-13. What can we learn about Jehovah from reading the Bible? Give an example. (Jeremiah 39:15-18) (See also picture.)

¹² First, we can learn more about Jehovah by reading and studying his Word. Sometimes, the Bible specifically identifies God’s qualities. (Ex. 34:6, 7) More often, though, it relates events involving humans and the decisions they made. When you read such accounts, think about what they can teach you about Jehovah.

¹³ Consider an example. While reading Jeremiah 38:6-13, you learn about the Ethiopian Ebed-melech, who rescued the prophet Jeremiah. Doubtless, you quickly identify ways that you can imitate Ebed-melech’s self-sacrifice, courage, and love for his fellow worshippers. Do you also see what qualities of Jehovah are revealed in this account? (Read Jeremiah 39:15-18.) For instance, what verse indicates that Jehovah is appreciative? Fair? Impartial? What other aspects of Jehovah’s personality do you discern in this account? Whenever you read a passage in God’s Word, identify Jehovah’s qualities that are reflected, and then thank and praise him for those qualities.

14. What can we do to benefit fully from what we observe in creation?

¹⁴ Second, we can learn more about Jehovah by meditating on his creative works. (Ps. 145:9, 10) Of course, simply observing the natural world is not enough. Some spend their entire lives studying nature but fail to acknowledge God’s qualities or even his existence! The apostle Paul wrote that God’s “invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made.” (Rom. 1:20) One translation of this verse says that we can perceive God’s qualities because they are “visible . . . to the eye of reason.” So we must think about and reason on what we see in order to discern the qualities of our Creator.

15. What has Patrick done to get to know Jehovah better, and how can you do something similar? (See also picture.)

¹⁵ Many of us live in urban areas that seem distant from the natural world. If this is your situation, can you still learn lessons from creation? Consider Patrick, who lives in Brazzaville, a large city in the Republic of the Congo. He relates: “I strive to observe creation from my balcony. I often see tiny insects or small birds busily looking for food or for a place to live. Once, I observed some birds making their nest. They found and used materials in our neighborhood that were perfectly suited for welcoming small chicks.” But Patrick did not stop there; he thought deeply about the Creator. He says: “I learned that Jehovah cares about the well-being of his creatures, even those that seem insignificant. This assures me that he also cares about me and will not fail to provide me with what I need.”

16. What helped Mary, Jesus’ mother, come to know Jehovah better, and how can we imitate her? (See also picture.)

¹⁶ A third way we can get to know Jehovah better is by meditating on our own experiences. That is what Jesus’ mother, Mary, did. She already knew Jehovah well, and she had “found favor with [him].” (Luke 1:30) But then she was given a weighty assignment​—to be the mother of God’s Son. Through the angel Gabriel and Mary’s relative Elizabeth, Jehovah strengthened Mary and reassured her. She later meditated on what her experience had revealed about Jehovah​—including his power, mercy, impartiality, and interest in even the lowly ones. (Luke 1:46-55) Just as Mary was appreciative of God’s support, we are grateful when Jehovah gives us help “at the right time.” (Heb. 4:16) When you receive this help, ask yourself: ‘What has this taught me about Jehovah? Which qualities of Jehovah has this experience revealed?’

WE WILL NEVER STOP LEARNING

17-18. Why can we say that we will never stop learning about Jehovah?

¹⁷ Think of how much more we will learn about Jehovah in the new world. We will receive new scrolls that reveal his requirements for us. (Rev. 20:12) We will be able to interact more closely with the natural world. (Isa. 11:6-9) And we will deepen our understanding of our Father as we experience new things, including our loved ones being resurrected and our getting closer to perfection every day.

¹⁸ We will never stop getting to know Jehovah. He has already lived for an eternity, so “his understanding is beyond measure.” (Ps. 90:2; 147:5) We “will never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish.” (Eccl. 3:11) Therefore, regardless of how long we have been in the truth, may we seize every opportunity to learn more about our loving Father.