The fact that Knowing God by J.I. Packer is still in print after more than 30 years indicates a wide interest in unveiling the mystery of relationship with God. Countless books have dealt with the deeper spiritual life, intimacy with God, and how to achieve that goal. I believe my contribution to this effort is to present knowing God as a factor of integrating God’s desire to be known without our having to explain away His mystery. We will never know all of God, nor would that be in our best interest. At the same time, His mystery should not prevent our seeking to know God intimately.
In the "Introduction" to my book I present the narrow road as a metaphor for the Christian life. The psalmist called it a path (119:105). Jesus called it the Way (Jn. 14:6). We don’t literally walk down a road as we go through each day. However, life is often described as a journey. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus said, “ ‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’ ”
When I picture this narrow road, I see ditches on either side, somewhat like physical ditches alongside a country lane. The image of ditches suggests that we may fall, tumble, slide, or walk off the road of life into a ditch on one side of the road or the other. If we do, we cease to make progress on the road to God’s house. So we must learn to navigate the road in such a way that we live between the ditches.
Christians always encounter Scriptural truths in spiritual ditches. So why not stay there? The problem is that we can see only a part of the truth, and living out of it alone provides insufficient direction for the journey. That’s because the truth in the ditch is half of a paradox. The word paradox is defined as two truths that exist side-by-side yet seem to be contradictory.
The way to relate to God is by living between the ditches of a God who wants to be known as well as a God of mystery. Although neither ditch serves us well alone, both are essential. We must hold in balance this God who wants to be known yet worshipped with fear and awe. In place of holy inertia, we can relate to God with confidence.
To help the reader conceptualize this truth, I've related the fictional story of Layton and Amy Brooks (see earlier posts). Interspersed throughout the content, the story describes Layton’s personal struggles with his ex-wife Amy, both of whom are on the path to a new and meaningful relationship with God. Layton, Amy, and the other characters illustrate the premise of learning to live between the ditches.
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