I can see it in my mind. Daniel and his three friends — Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — are standing in line in King Jehoiakim’s palace, waiting to enter the throne room. Prince Nebuchadnezzar arrives to take some of King Jehoiakim’s household as captives back to Babylon. As Daniel and his friends pass the time, he and Hananiah talk.

Daniel: His highness is certainly a young man.

Hananiah: And a very successful one.

Daniel: He knows what he wants and exactly how to get it.

Hananiah: Is that your formula for success?

Daniel: Mixed with love and mercy, yes.

That is an excerpt from an episode of Your Story Hour, titled “The Four Friends.” I know the entire episode by heart. I have been listening to the Uncle Dan and Aunt Sue tapes for as far back as I can remember. Growing up, my brother and I would listen to the tapes all the time, until they were completely worn out.

Three years ago, I went looking to replace the tapes. My family decided that I should get them in CD form, so they would last longer. At the time, the three sets cost a total of about $500. It had taken me more than a year to save up the money.

But the CDs don’t mean nearly as much to me now as the tapes did. It’s sad. Though I used to have all the tapes memorized, I’ve forgotten most of the stories now.

For many years, I have relied on things like these tapes and CDs to tell me about God, instead of letting Him speak to me directly. As I’ve gotten older, the things I used to rely on have grown stale and aren’t as powerful anymore. If I’m going to learn about God, I realize I need to take a different approach.

On a Sabbath in February I celebrated my birthday. The sky was overcast. It had rained a lot and would rain some more. When I walked outside to go to Sabbath School, the moist air was spitting a little bit. As the wind would send the mist and bigger drops my way, I said to myself, “These are angel kisses. The Holy Spirit is the wind. As the wind hits me, the misty rain strips away my sins so that I don’t have them anymore.”

Later on, after church, the sky was still cloudy and it was misting a little. Because my sins had been stripped away, I could see the vibrant colors contrasted against the gray sky. I saw green. Lots of green. Possibly because the rainbow surrounding God’s throne is green — emerald green. Never had the world looked so vibrant and alive. I could hardly contain the joy I felt.

The Difference?
So, what’s the difference between these two approaches to God — between relying more on God to tell me about Himself and less on the things I know to tell me about Him? How can you get from knowing about God to actually knowing Him? I don’t know.

For me, feeding Union College’s squirrels has helped. I gain new insights into God’s character as I do so. For example, when I’m feeding them I understand how much God wants to lavish blessings on us and how hurt he is when we skittishly run or ignore him.

Someday the King will invade Satan’s throne room as Nebuchadnezzar did Jehoiakim’s. Someday we will be able to communicate with God face-toface. No aunt or uncle will need to tell us about him. As we wait now to enter the throne room into the King’s presence, it seems essential to rely more on God and less on things.

p.12 adventist today | vol. 15 issue 6