Part 1 Preface by Gazz

Preface part 1

From Knowledge of God to Knowing God

"The hour of solitude – 3 a.m." A time of prayer and deep wrestling of the soul, when the world is silent and heaven often seems near.

"Vertical Limit" speaks of reaching upward until human understanding can go no further. It is the point where the soul has stretched itself to its utmost in seeking God through His Word.

"Beyond the Void" speaks of passing beyond the emptiness of merely knowing about God into the joy of knowing Him more deeply through His Spirit.

For many months I had been living in Psalm one hundredand nineteen, delighting in God's Word, lingering over its truths, and seeking to know the heart of the One who inspired it. Alongside this, I had been meditating on His divine attributes—His holiness, glory, majesty, wisdom, love and beauty. My longing was never simply to gain more knowledge, but that my knowledge of God might lead me to know God Himself more intimately.

In the quiet depths of that night, when all was still, I found myself sitting with only the light from my phone, trying to put into words what I had come to know of God through those months of meditation. Somewhere between thought and worship, my words reached their vertical limit. My understanding could go no further.

Yet in that stillness, the Spirit of Christ gently drew me beyond the highest point my intellect could reach. Not beyond His Word, but deeper into it. The truths I had treasured in Scripture seemed to shine with a freshness and reality that left me silent before Him.

Knowledge of God began to give way to knowing God.

Not that I understood Him more completely, but that I became more deeply aware of His presence. The God I had been seeking through His Word graciously made Himself known to my heart in a way that filled me with wonder, love and holy reverence.

It was there that I realised there comes a sacred threshold where reasoning and meditation have reached their vertical limit. Here, the dictionaries of our minds fall silent. They have done their work faithfully. They have pointed us to Christ. Words have carried us as far as words can carry us, until, by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit, those same truths become living realities within our hearts.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."(2 Corinthians 4:6)

The Scriptures I had meditated upon, the countless hours spent in Psalm one hundred and  nineteen the books I had carefully read, the sermons I had listened to, and the truths I had come to cherish had all been leading me to this moment. Not to discover something new, but to know more deeply the God who had already revealed Himself in His Son and through His Word.

To meditate on God's attributes is to allow our hearts to be warmed by the fire of His presence. As our awareness of Him grows, self fades into the background. Meditation becomes adoration, adoration becomes transformation, and our communion with Christ deepens. The soul stands still before His majesty, filled with wonder and holy worship.

If these words do anything, I pray they will not draw attention to my experience, but to the God whose greatness is unsearchable, whose understanding is beyond measure, and whose glory is beautifully displayed in the face of Jesus Christ.

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Preface part 1 From Knowledge of God to Knowing God "The hour of solitude – 3 a.m." A time of prayer and deep wrestling of the soul, when the world is silent and heaven often seems near. "Vertical Limit" speaks of reaching upward until human understanding can go no further. It is the point where the soul has stretched itself to its utmost in seeking God through His Word. "Beyond the Void" speaks of passing beyond the emptiness of merely knowing about God into the joy of knowing Him more deeply through His Spirit. For many months I had been living in Psalm one hundredand nineteen, delighting in God's Word, lingering over its truths, and seeking to know the heart of the One who inspired it. Alongside this, I had been meditating on His divine attributes—His holiness, glory, majesty, wisdom, love and beauty. My longing was never simply to gain more knowledge, but that my knowledge of God might lead me to know God Himself more intimately. In the quiet depths of that night, when all was still, I found myself sitting with only the light from my phone, trying to put into words what I had come to know of God through those months of meditation. Somewhere between thought and worship, my words reached their vertical limit. My understanding could go no further. Yet in that stillness, the Spirit of Christ gently drew me beyond the highest point my intellect could reach. Not beyond His Word, but deeper into it. The truths I had treasured in Scripture seemed to shine with a freshness and reality that left me silent before Him. Knowledge of God began to give way to knowing God. Not that I understood Him more completely, but that I became more deeply aware of His presence. The God I had been seeking through His Word graciously made Himself known to my heart in a way that filled me with wonder, love and holy reverence. It was there that I realised there comes a sacred threshold where reasoning and meditation have reached their vertical limit. Here, the dictionaries of our minds fall silent. They have done their work faithfully. They have pointed us to Christ. Words have carried us as far as words can carry us, until, by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit, those same truths become living realities within our hearts. "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."(2 Corinthians 4:6) The Scriptures I had meditated upon, the countless hours spent in Psalm one hundred and nineteen the books I had carefully read, the sermons I had listened to, and the truths I had come to cherish had all been leading me to this moment. Not to discover something new, but to know more deeply the God who had already revealed Himself in His Son and through His Word. To meditate on God's attributes is to allow our hearts to be warmed by the fire of His presence. As our awareness of Him grows, self fades into the background. Meditation becomes adoration, adoration becomes transformation, and our communion with Christ deepens. The soul stands still before His majesty, filled with wonder and holy worship. If these words do anything, I pray they will not draw attention to my experience, but to the God whose greatness is unsearchable, whose understanding is beyond measure, and whose glory is beautifully displayed in the face of Jesus Christ.

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