Many people have asked me this same question, often with both longing and hesitation: Can we really understand God? It’s a question that springs from the heart’s desire to know the One who created us. Deep down, every soul seeks this closeness — to understand who God is and to feel His presence as something real, not distant or abstract.
The truth is both humbling and beautiful: we can know God, but we can never fully comprehend Him. God is infinite, and our human minds are finite. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). This doesn’t mean God hides from us; rather, it means His greatness is beyond what we can grasp completely — like trying to hold the ocean in our hands.
Yet, through love, God has revealed Himself to us. In Scripture, He shows His heart — as Creator, Father, and Savior. And in Jesus Christ, we see God made visible. Jesus tells us, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). So while we cannot know everything about God’s mystery, we can know truly who He is through Christ: a God of mercy, truth, and love.
Understanding God is not about solving a puzzle — it’s about entering into a relationship. Through prayer, Scripture, and the quiet movements of grace, we begin to know Him more deeply, not just with our minds, but with our hearts. Over time, this relationship transforms us. We start to see His presence in daily life — in beauty, in forgiveness, and even in our suffering.
We may never grasp all of who God is, but we can grow in love with the One who already knows and loves us completely. That is the beginning of true understanding.
Let us not fear the mystery of God, but rest within it. For the more we seek Him, the more we discover that His mystery is love itself.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
