Why Should We Try to Understand?

November 15, 2024
Empowering Influence, Living Abundantly

While the Eternal One fully understands the natural realm He created, we only see “in a mirror dimly.” (a) [see endnotes for Scriptures] So our perceptions about God and His way with us can seem a bit confusing. For instance, we believe He is supreme in all things yet we can override His will. His forgiving love is unending, yet we fear His displeasure and an eternal hell is possible.

Should we just believe what we’ve been told? What if our ideas about God and His behavior are flawed and our beliefs mistaken? Why should we try to understand God and His way with us?

Seeking To Understand More Daily

God created this natural universe to function with productive good and destructive evil energies and with life and death processes. Since every type of life in this world experiences a start, growth, decline, and death, we must deal with many positive and negative actions and reactions.  

Would it be in our best interest to understand why this life functions as it does? Our Eternal Father thinks so! He gave a clear expression of His desire for us to understand in Scripture: “With all your acquiring, get understanding.” (b) He even places great value on our ability to understand: “God has looked…to see if there is anyone who understands.” (c) 

I know we are often told we cannot actually understand, so why should we try? In my teenage years I attended a meeting to hear a visiting speaker. I was quite familiar with the Bible and followed the speaker’s message until he said: “You don’t have to understand, just believe it.” 

The statement seemed off and I began to ponder the idea. Why would God give us a mind that can perceive, reason, and understand if He expects us to just believe? The third time the minister repeated the phrase I decided I could not accept such a lame approach toward God or Scripture. It solidified my desire to seek to understand all that God desires to reveal. 

I began the practice of praying as I picked up the Bible; “Lord, show me what I’ve not yet seen.” Over the years, I have sought to understand more clearly what Scripture says about the Eternal One and make sense of the insight He shares in Scripture. It has been an enlightening journey! 

While our family, culture, and racial make-up dictate how we start life in this world, they are not intended to control, restrict or limit our maturing development. Our beginnings and our first perceptions can complicate our life, but they should not captivate and restrain our growth. 

God places great value on our ability to understand.

Knowing vs. Understanding

I have discovered most of our Bibles tend to hide some of the original meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words in Scripture. Translators have inserted a few traditions of men that tend to lend to confusion. The original words, phrases, and concepts in Scripture tend to make more sense.

What we personally understand about life supports our attitudes about God and His ways. Our beliefs have a productive and destructive influence on our mental and physical health. What we believe sways where we go, what we do, what we eat, and how we treat one another. 

We understand everyone is an offspring of God and man. But how well do we understand? The spirit of life in each of us, which finally returns to God, (d) gives us the ability to perceive and understand. We are all able to rise from our current perceptions and understand more clearly. 

Everyone has the God-given ability to reason and understand so we can make more sense of life. When we ask questions or say “I don’t understand,” it is usually a request for more detail. On the other hand, when we say, “I don’t care,” we admit we are not interested in understanding. 

Too often we restrict ourselves by not considering ideas and thoughts that differ from our current perceptions. Jesus encouraged us to not limit ourselves; “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and it shall be opened to you.” (e)  

While the depths of God’s mind and the secrets of this life are beyond our ability to fully understand, we want to remain open to the rich insights God reveals and shares with us.

“The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes…understanding.” (f) 
 “Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (g) 

Scripture relates God’s clear desire for us to understand: “Let him who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows Me.” (h) Knowing of God and not understanding can shortchange our maturing growth. We all have the ability to awaken, comprehend, clearly see, and understand beyond our current views. Too often we just fail to seriously consider new or fresh insight. 

Knowing of God and not understanding can shortchange our maturing growth.

Fresh Perceptions

New and fresh insight can bring clarity and improve our understanding. Fresh insight however will fade away and be of no value if we don’t take time to think through the issues, allow them to change our overall understanding, and adjust our expressions and behavior. (i)  

God is more than willing to share helpful insight with each of us. Scripture encourages us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind…that which is good and acceptable and perfect (mature).” (j) This happens as “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” (k) 

Transformation is a process where, over time, our thoughts and understandings improve. When we understand why we exist and that we are designed to function and grow into more mature children of God, life actually becomes more meaningful and enjoyable.

Many have heard the verse “Trust in the Lord…and do not lean on your own understanding.” (l) This verse speaks of our own thoughts and perceptions that ignore God’s input, and disregard His insightful involvement in our daily life. As we seek God’s influencing guidance “first and foremost,(m) our personal understanding becomes much more than our own.  

God even warns us “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (n) Jesus also admonished us to allow “the Spirit of truth,” God’s presence with us, to “guide you into all the truth.” (o) All the truth is more than what we currently perceive or believe. Are we willing to devote the time needed to seek and receive a greater understanding and make more sense of this life?

We encourage you to not be satisfied with an inactive or occasional involvement with God’s insightful presence. He is our source of the understanding that has eternal qualities. (p) 

May we encourage you, even our teachers and educators to not settle for what you already know or understand. Seek and consider perceptions that may go beyond current or past understanding.  

Let us commit afresh to being receptive to all the light that God desires to share with us! May we energetically pursue clarifying insight so we can become more mature children of God!

Seek and consider perceptions that may go beyond current or past understanding.

a) 1 Corinthians 13:12; b) Proverbs 4:7; c) Psalms 53:2; d) Ecclesiastes 12:7; e) Luke 11:9; f) Proverbs 2:6; g) Romans 11:33; h) Jeremiah 9:24; i) Luke 8:11-15; j) Romans 12:2; k) 2 Corinthians 3:18; l) Proverbs 3:5; m) Matthew 6:33; n) Hosea 4:6; o) John 16:12-13; p) John 17:3

Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder
Created To Relate author

Sign in to receive a notification of new blogs and receive free "10 Tips for Healthy Relationships"