true proportion, as either the machinations of power politics, or the inspiration of people who were mentally unbalanced. All this is implicit in the statement of the man who declares his belief that God is good.
A third man may go further still; he may mean, “I believe that I know God as a person, and to a limited extent have learned to trust him”. By his affirmation, this man declares his belief in prayer; that when a man says his prayers before going to bed, he is not just talking into the blankets, somebody actually hears; and equally when a man obeys the promptings of instinct and experience, he is in part at least hearing the still small voice that Elijah heard in the desert. Incidentally I agree with Dietrich Bonhoeffer that the promptings of conscience are cowardly and unreliable. Insofar as the promptings take the form, “Don't do it you fool”, it is probably best to obey conscience. But it is quite unsafe to rely upon conscience where positive action is demanded. Instinct, good sense, and a trained experience are far better guides. However the point I wish to make is that the man who declares that he knows God (whether he is right or wrong is immaterial) affirms that he has communication with God; and God with him, because you cannot know a person with whom you cannot communicate. And communication generally involves words, though it is by no means dependent on them. A sigh, or a glance, or a squeeze of the hand may speak volumes.
Furthermore implicit in the idea of knowing someone is the idea of trusting him. The very fact of knowing someone forces you to decide whether, and how much, you can trust him. The process is usually unconscious; but it has to take place, particularly when it comes to “opening the heart”, or confiding in someone. It can be a painful experience to have one's confidences betrayed. Prudence demands that you do not confide further than you can trust. But insofar as one person does trust another, there is always the possibility that the…