“I do know.” Those are three words I don’t usually say.
“Where do you want to eat for lunch?”
“I do know. Let’s eat at Chick-fil-A.”
Not my first response. Chick-fil-A? Yes. The choice of grammar which led to the highly favored suggestion? Just no.
Not to be confused with the last post, “I Don’t Know,” this post is “I Do Know.”
{When in doubt, chose contradiction. Not really. Just for blog post titles.}
The point in this post is that there are things we do know that we can say with certainty, and we should concentrate on those.
There are plenty of things we don’t know. And there are plenty of things we gloriously do.
A friend recently expressed some concerns because her family has all kinds of differing viewpoints, some perhaps unbiblical, about the Holy Spirit.
“I don’t know what to say to them, because I haven’t studied everything there is to know about the Holy Spirit. I don’t know exactly what’s biblical and what’s not. But I want to speak truth to them about it.”
It’s a legitimate concern.
What to say when there’s much to be said but you aren’t ready to say it.
Try this.
A question is posed.
The answer? “I don’t know, but what I do know is . . .”
So, for example, the Holy Spirit.
I know the Spirit has been given to me because I follow Christ. The Spirit is God’s love being poured into my heart.
I know that, because I have died to sin and been released from the law, I serve in the new way of the Spirit. And this new way has set me free.
I know I now walk acccording to the Spirit and set my mind on the things of the Spirit. To do that means life and peace.
I know the Spirit dwells in me, and that is one proof that I belong to God. The Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am his child.
I know the Spirit helps me in my weakness. He goes so far as to intercede for me.
I know I am led by the Spirit.
I know I have the firstfruits of the Spirit.
I know the Spirit gives me power.
I know the Spirit is life.
Those are some things I do know.
{And those are just some things about the Holy Spirit from the book of Romans. 65 books to go.}
The bottom line is this: Rather than stress over what I don’t know, I want to focus on, marvel in, and speak boldly of what I do know.
Put a finite mind and an infinite Word together, and you have the surprising and gracious capability of finding lots of certainties.
For the “making-up-phrases-trumps-proper-grammar” in me, that’s lots of “I do know’s.”
[image credit: pixabay.com, journeyoftheword.com]
Journey of the Word 
Yes, so many questions which eat away at us can become less important when we focus on what we DO know about God and his love for us.
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Yes, good answer, focus on what you DO know! For example, you can use the book of 1 John as your text as chapters 2-5 list all the “what we know”. That’s a great starting point!
Wonderful post. Love your humour that shone through! Blessings to you, Lydia!
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There is a lot I don’t know when it comes to God and the Bible, but there is so much I DO know about Him and His love for me. Thanks for reminding me to focus on that and try to know Him more!
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This is so good! My husband and I talk about this very thing often. I may not be able to quote scripture word for word, but I can always talk about how God’s Word has transformed my life. Talking about what we do know is so powerful.
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Such a powerful reminder! In some ways, this ties into not being double minded and asking for wisdom for what we don’t know, as well! Glad I found this article over in By His Grace Bloggers!! 🙂
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This reminds me of the very basic premise for faith….simply accept knowing that God is good! Life is so much more enjoyable when we focus on what we do know and understand! Great post.
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