Fully Known, Deeply Loved: What The Bible Reveals About God’s Heart

Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. Psalm 91:14 ESV

We may joke saying, “To know me, is to love me,” but we’re probably afraid the opposite might be true.

A wise man once said, “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God.”[1] God’s love for us and the love He wants us to have for Him isn’t anything like human love. In His book, the Bible, God talks about His relationship with those who follow Him. He says that He wants us to know His love and to know Himself personally.

In Psalm 91:14 God says, “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name” (Psalm 91:14 ESV). One Bible teacher unpacks this by explaining: “The Hebrew words here are so potent. The word used for “holds fast” in the phrase “he holds fast to me,” include a longing and a desire and in the phrase ‘he knows my name,” the word for “know” is the same word used to say things like ‘Adam knew his wife.’ It indicates intimate knowledge. And since name indicates character, it would be something like saying, ‘He is intimately acquainted with who I truly am!’“[2]

Donia was 18 when she saw a social post that said, “If you want to know more about God’s love, contact us!” After chatting with a Jesus-follower, Donia said, “I became so captivated with the idea of how man might discover true and genuine love.” And then, she prayed to ask God to open her heart so that He might come in.

You can pray that same prayer today. He’s been waiting to hear from you.

[1] Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (Dutton, 2011), p. 101.

[2] “Day 081 (Deuteronomy 32–34, Psalm 91).” YouTube, uploaded by The Bible Recap, https://youtu.be/6ncLqdQv6nc. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.