Real Hope: Relationship With GodSample

## Knowing God It’s nice to be happy, to be free and eased of responsibilities, even for a little while. It’s good to laugh about things with friends and family. These are all good but can be fleeting and don’t offer the lasting joy and peace that we often seek and truly need. A deep joy that is with us through all aspects of life. This is not about putting on a happy face when you’re sad or stressed or feeling overwhelmed. This joy is the peace of God, which can only come from Him. The psalmist writes that it is through knowing God’s Word that we find strength, confidence, and surety. Because he loves God, the psalmist seeks God out and wants to know Him more. He loves the Word of God because he knows that God knows him. God knows us and loves us and wants us to explore His Word and know Him better. He knows that as we open His Word, read it, and pray, we know Him better and know what He wants from us. This will not make life "perfect" (whatever that might be) but it reassures us that God loves us and cares for us and is with us all the time, and that is what gives true peace and joy. Pray, talk to God at any time about anything. Look at His Word, open it up and start reading anywhere. Just open the Bible. Get to know Him because He knows and loves you. #### Written by DAVID BARKER