“Make sure you wash your hair in the shower.” ~Mom-Me
“I know.” ~My 8-year-old
“Today’s the day you need to turn in your globe project at school.” ~Mom-Me
“I know.” ~My 8-year-old.
If I said, “Neil Armstrong did Michael Jackson’s moon-walk while defending Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and discussing Thomas Edison’s impact on the death penalty in 2019, my son would say ‘I know.’”
It’s enough to drive a mother crazy!
How many of us ask God for guidance and then tell Him “I know”? I’d venture to guess that most of us have told our Heavenly Father “I know” on several occasions. In fact, I’d argue there are two different types of “I know” that we tell God.
The first is similar to what our children say. “I know” implies, I already have that information and you aren’t sharing anything new with me. Often in human form, it is accompanied by an eye roll or heavy sigh. An example of this is when God gives us a nudge, usually in regards to something we are doing that is displeasing to Him, and we reply with the “I know.” For example, you are harboring unforgiveness towards someone for a perceived slight. You feel convicted, as though you should reach out to that person. You respond with the “I know, I know. I should speak to this person and offer forgiveness. But….”
This type of “I Know” does not always include action. In fact, sometimes, this “I know” isn’t really acknowledging knowledge at all. Rather, it’s a phrase to make the other person feel like you agree with them. News flash: God knows you don’t really know…just like a mother knows that about her child.
The second “I know” comes with an exclamation point and often a bit of emphasis that indicates that we’ve just figured out the solution to a perplexing issue. Essentially it’s the EUREKA of the “I know” world. An example of this is when we ask God’s guidance on a situation but then we implement our own solution with an “I know…I’ll do this or that.”
This type of “I Know!” often includes making a bigger mess. We haven’t waited on God, but rather try to solve issues on our own. News flash: We tend to mess things up more with our tracts of solutions.
Whether we are answering “I know” to something He’s asked of us, or we say “I know!” like we’ve come up with our own answer to prayer requests, we are not honoring God or our parents with our know-it-all attitude.
A look at Scripture reveals that one of the best ways to determine if God is telling us to do something is to see if it is consistent with God’s teachings. John 16:13 teaches, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” In other words, God’s Spirit will only guide you to do things that are consistent with what God has already taught as truth.
Another way to know when God is telling you to do something is through prayer. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” If we are uncertain, we are to pray and ask for wisdom from God.
Rather than thinking you know, seek the Lord through scripture or through prayer. If God’s Word is consistent with where you are being led and your prayers appear to confirm that leading, then maybe God is revealing a course of action for you…one that you don’t know about.
~Emily
Iron Porch 