HAVE YOU EVER been asked, “Do you know so-and-so?” If we know that individual, we might automatically reply yes. But do we really know that person? If someone asked me if I knew my congressional representative, I would say yes. I’ve been introduced to him, and we’ve spoken. I’m sure if we met on the street, he would acknowledge me.
But do I really know him? No. I know his name, and I know what he does as my congressman. That’s the extent of what I know about him. Even so, in such cases we often say, “I know him.”
How well do you know your employer? You probably know them better than I know my congressman, but how well do you really know your boss?
I’m sure we know more about our friends than we do about our employer. And we probably know some friends better than others. Some are simply acquaintances, while others are close friends.
The more time we spend with someone, the better we know that person. Of all my friends, I don’t know any of them as well as I know my husband. At the end of December, Ken and I will celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. I know his thoughts, and he knows mine.
Both of my children are married and have families of their own. And after they left home, I retired from cooking. Although I love to cook, I now do that only on holidays. As a result, my husband and I eat out frequently.
Our passion should be to know the Lord better than anything or anyone else.
Sometimes Ken will ask me where I want to eat, and I’ll say I’m thinking about a certain restaurant. And often he tells me he’s thinking about that same place. This happens because we have spent so much time together. Ken’s ways have become my ways, and my ways have become his ways.
Isaiah 55:8 (NKJV) says, “ ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.” When we are born again, our thoughts and ways might be very different from God’s. But the more we commune with our Heavenly Father, the more our thoughts and ways become like His.
God desires that we know Him. But some people know God only as their Creator. Others know Him and Jesus only as their Savior. Still others know the Father and the Son as their Creator, Savior, and Healer.
Do you realize that you can know your Heavenly Father as a friend? If you allow Him to, He will be a close friend and confidant Who will never betray you or tell your secrets.
Isn’t it funny the way some of us are? Many people who hear confidential information feel as though they must tell one other person! They say, “Don’t tell anybody else. This is between you and me.” But after each person tells just one other person, it seems as if the whole world knows the secret.
God is not like that. I learned a long time ago that I can tell Him all my problems and secrets, and He will never betray me. He will never let my secret out.
How do we get to know our Heavenly Father better? First, we can do that by reading and meditating on His Word. We can learn so much about what God is like by reading and studying the Bible. And if we want Him to answer our prayers, we need to know what He’s promised us in His Word.
We can also get to know our Heavenly Father by spending time with Him in prayer. D. L. Moody once said, in effect, “I would rather learn to pray than to preach.” Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, but He did teach them how to pray. Jesus knew that prayer was vital to the disciples’ success in life and ministry.
The Apostle Paul is a good example of someone who knew the Father. But one reason he knew Him so well was that he made knowing Jesus his top priority. And Jesus told His disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 NIV).
PHILIPPIANS 3:8, 10 (AMPC)
8 I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege . . . of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him. . . . For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish . . . , in order that I may win . . . Christ . . . .
10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death. . . .
It is clear from these verses that Paul desired to know the Lord better. He knew if he knew God more completely, the Lord would be there for him in every way.
When we study Paul’s writings, we see that Paul rarely prayed for himself. But he often prayed for others. For instance, in Ephesians 1:17–19 Paul prayed for the Ephesian church. But he did not pray for their specific needs or wants. He prayed that they would know God better.
When we know the Lord intimately, we’ll know that the devil is under our feet (see 1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22). We’ll know that when we encounter difficult situations, we don’t have to become upset and cry out to God in prayer.
We’ll already know from God’s Word what the results will be, so we’ll begin to declare, “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13 NKJV). The better we know the Lord, the bolder we will be to declare His Word.
Our passion should be to know the Lord better than anything or anyone else. We must know that He is for us and not against us, and that He will be there to encourage us in difficult times. We must be sure that we can draw upon His love for us and that He will give us what we need, when we need it.
My prayer is that if someone asks you, “Do you know God?” you can reply, “Yes, I know Him. I know Him very well.”
Author
Lynette Hagin
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