I

Until, one day, you will

feel that the Creator is no longer a riddle,

that the Creator has never been hidden from you,

that the Creator has never concealed His face from you,

that the Creator is not at all far from you,

that the Creator is no longer

the One that you constantly long for in your thoughts

but that you cannot reach with your feelings,

that He is really and truly standing guard to your left and right,

supplying your life, and controlling your destiny.

He is not on the remote horizon,

nor has He secreted Himself high up in the clouds.

He is right by your side, presiding over your all,

He is everything that you have, and He is the only thing you have.

II

Such a God allows you to love Him from the heart,

cling to Him, hold Him close, admire Him,

fear to lose Him,

and be unwilling to renounce Him any longer, rebel against Him any longer,

or any longer to evade Him or put Him at a distance.

All you want is to care for Him, submit to Him,

requite all that He gives you, all that He gives you,

and submit to His dominion.

You no longer refuse to be guided,

provided for, watched over, and kept by Him,

no longer refuse God’s sovereignty over you and His arrangements.

All you want is to follow Him, to be around Him in His company;

all you want is to accept Him as your one and only life,

to accept Him as your one and only Lord, one and only God,

to accept Him as your one and only Lord, one and only God.

from The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. Preface