PERSONAL GOD: Can You Really Know the One Who Made the Universe?
Tim Stafford
Zondervan
Christian Life/Spiritual Growth
ISBN: 9780310277088

What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Even though Tim Stafford grew up in evangelical circles, he often wrestled with this question and its implications. In PERSONAL GOD, the co-editor of THE STUDENT BIBLE and regular contributor to Christianity Today tackles the question of what it means to know God and to live in relationship with Him.

From the opening pages, it’s clear that Stafford’s desire to know God is real. His hunger for God was not just academic curiosity, but something far more. He writes: “I wanted to know God, to experience his presence. I did not want to ‘work up’ a feeling of God; I wanted to encounter God directly. During times of prayer I tried hard to convince myself that God was really listening. In one low period I walked the streets pleading with God to speak audibly, show me a some sign, somehow demonstrate convincingly his presence.”

Though the struggles are real, Stafford admits that knowing God is not so difficult. He notes that we can know God personally just as we get to know others and ourselves. Though it takes patience and diligence, it’s possible to answer the invitation of God to know Him.

Throughout the Bible, we read of God introducing Himself to people by name. For example, He met Moses at a burning bush and revealed Himself as Yahweh, which means “I am.” Not only does God introduce Himself by name, but He goes so far as to invite us to invoke that name and to connect with Him in prayer. Stafford believes that talking with God is one of the simplest yet profound things we can do in our spiritual lives. Through prayer, we are invited to expose ourselves and our situations to God and trust Him with the details of our life. Just as it’s hard to get to know our neighbor without spending time asking questions, listening and engaging in conversation, it’s difficult to get to know God without prayer and spending time in His Word.

Writes Stafford: “This witness of the Holy Spirit through the Bible is the fundamental way that God communicates with us. It doesn’t have the immediacy of human conversation. I don’t ask God questions and get immediate responses. The conversation is muted and requires patient listening. There are long silences --- sometimes very frustrated silences. It is very personal, however.”

In addition to communicating with God through prayer and His Word, Stafford says it’s vital to recognize the importance of the family of God --- sharing the sufferings and the work, and growing together. Just as there are things about people you can never know about them unless you spend time with their family, there are some things about God that are best learned by spending time with His children. In our relationships with those who know God, we have the opportunity to see various attributes of Him on display. And as we grow in this relationship, we discover an appreciation for God and all that He has given us.

PERSONAL GOD is a wonderful resource for those who are just entertaining the idea of a relationship with God or desiring to reflect on the foundations of the faith journey.

    --- Reviewed by Margaret Oines

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