Know

Ephesians 1:17 GNT I ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Holy Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him.

Let’s be honest, what time we do spend in prayer is usually spent telling God what we want or believe we need. And there is certainly nothing wrong with that, as Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” But have you ever thought about asking God what He wants?

Scripture tells us what God desires. From Genesis through Revelation, the one thing God repeatedly says he wants is for us to know him. In the New Testament it is ginōskō and in Old Testament it is yāda. In both cases, it is to know someone in a deeply personal and intimate way. Not to know about Him but to know him through personal experience, to be intimately acquainted. God wants to make himself known to you. Hosea 6:6 states, “I want your constant love, not your sacrifices. I would rather you know me than offer sacrifices to me.” To know God is truly our highest purpose in life.

If there has ever been an example of someone who really knew God, someone who experienced an extraordinarily intimate relationship with God, a man who had a close personal friendship with God, it was Moses. “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Moses came to know and experience God in all his power and glory. Moses experienced firsthand the nature and character of God: His authority, wisdom, holiness, righteousness, and His incomparable greatness. But God waited to show Moses his greatest characteristic for a special moment.

One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have told me, you know me by name, and that you look favorably on me. If that is true, then let me know you and your ways so I may understand you more fully” (Exodus 33:12–13). What Moses was really asking: God, I want to really know you—know your thoughts, your character, what brings you joy and what brings you sorrow. Then Moses took it even further and asked, “show me your glorious presence.” The Lord agreed, “I will make all my goodness pass before you” (Exodus 33:17–19). This entire conversation between Moses and God reveals so much about God and his desire to make himself known to us.

The first thing that God wanted to reveal to Moses was His goodness. Some of God’s first words to describe himself were “abounding in goodness” (Exodus 34:6), and Jesus referred to himself as the “good shepherd who knows the Father and the Father knows me” (John 10:14). Then in Psalm 23, we are promised God’s goodness will pursue us all the days of our lives. Satan constantly wants to cause us to doubt God’s goodness. The first temptation of Jesus was a challenge to God’s goodness. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s only rule when they doubted His goodness. But it was God in His goodness that came looking for them. God is always pursuing us and His ultimate desire to always show His goodness and make himself known.

Our God is not distant or unapproachable, but He desires to fully reveal himself to those who seek him. “For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7). God has freely offered to let you know him—really know and experience him, and it is the best offer you will ever get!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To subscribe: Go to livingoaksministry.com                                   Copyright 2024 Living Oaks Ministry

Gary and Sandy Anthony

John 17:3 NLT And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

John 14:7 NLT If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!

Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things.

1 John 2:3-4 NLT And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

1 John 4:8 NLT But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 3:6 NLT Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

Philippians 3:7-8, 10 NLT I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Exodus 14:18 NIV When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!

Isaiah 45:21-22 NIV There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:22-24 TPT So turn your heart to me, face me now, and be saved wherever you are, even from the ends of the earth, for I alone am God, and there is no other. I make this solemn oath to you in my own name; this word sent from my mouth in righteousness will not return unfulfilled: Truly every knee will bow before me and every tongue will solemnly swear allegiance to me! All will say of me, Yes! Only in Yahweh do I find righteousness and strength!

Psalms 46:10 NIV The Lord says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Ezekiel 39:28-29 NIV Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 34:30 NIV Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.

Exodus 29:46 NIV They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.