Does God Understand Us?

Have you ever had one of those moments where it just seemed like no one understood what you were going through, or what you were thinking?  It just seemed that they couldn't relate to your experience, and no matter how much you may have tried to explain, they just didn't get it.

I had one of those moments yesterday, only it was me who was failing to understand another person.  The sad thing was, it was my wife I was failing to understand.  She had some thoughts and experiences, and no matter how much she explained them to me, it just didn't seem like they were getting through.  I'm pretty sure she was rather frustrated with that (and me, probably!).

This leads me to today's question.  Does God understand us?  Does He know what it's like to feel sad, and lonely, and misunderstood?  Does He get frustrated, like we do, when no one seems to get what He's saying?  Doesn't He get that sometimes we really need someone to just get who we are, what we are going through, and to be there, supporting us and helping us through that time?

As I have given thought to this question, it has seemed to me that we should almost flip the question around.  Do we understand God?  Do we know what it's like to have an entire creation which He dearly loves turn on Him, become His enemies by nature, and look for other reasons to explain our existence?  Do we know what it's like to create a bunch of people, and then have them do what seems to be right in their eyes rather than live the full life He created them to live?  Do we know what it's like to know what is best for them, but then, watch them pick almost anything but the best time and time again?

When we feel like no one gets us or understands us, I think we start to feel a reflection of how God must look at His entire creation.  What we go through at that time is a dim reflection of what He experiences every moment that this creation is in existence.  And the solution, at least from God's perspective?  Not to blow the whole thing up and start over, but to completely re-create it, and giving them all as many opportunities to be a part of that new creation as possible.

Does God understand us?  More deeply and intimately than we could ever imagine.  Do we understand God?  Only as in looking at a frosted over mirror in a dim room.