Knowing God

Knowing God. Where do I start? Honestly I feel inadequate to even talk about this topic, but it's the focus of my attention right now, so I will do my best to dig up a bit of the riches of this idea of knowing the creator and God of the universe.

When I see the world around me it's clear that knowing God is not the quest of most of the human race. Yes, we want to be saved, go to heaven, be forgiven, but to know God is not on our list, not on our bucket list. Most Christians can tell you about God, but it's not from firsthand experience, it comes from a Sunday School class, a sermon or time with other Christians in bible study. To personally know God is the highest goal of the Christian faith and yet it's rarely the focus of most Christians I know.

The reason I'm thinking about this is because I am working my way through Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a prophet in captivity in Babylon. As he writes and speaks the words of God one theme repeats itself over and over again....it's this- "Then they will know that I am the Lord." More than 63 times in the pages of his book God's goal is that his people would know him. It's the goal of God from Eden on....that his man would be in intimate relationship with him. God wants us to know him. That's the number one thing, it's God's #1 goal for us- to know Him.

John writes these words from Jesus as he teaches his disciples for the last time, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, ad Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Did you see that? What is eternal life? Knowing God! That's God's goal. Is it mine? I want to want to, but I don't even know how, where to start, how to know this awesome God who made me. Since it's God's #1 desire for me it must be mine as well. To know God....where do I start? How do I begin?

Over the years I've found that my walk with God, my knowing of him comes from hanging out with Jesus in the gospels. Each day, as I spend time in His word, I read something from the gospels. It's there I most clearly discover what God is like, how he thinks, and so I hang out with Jesus. I walk with him, watch him, listen to him and in that fellowship with him and the disciples I get to know the God who wants me to know him. In Jesus I see the face of God. In being with him I experience the very heart of God...because Jesus IS GOD!

And so, I pray, as Paul prayed in Ephesians 3, "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Knowing God. It's God's desire for us. Is it #1 on your list?

Lord, I want to know you. I know you want me to know you. Show me how to know you, to really know you. Give me a hunger, a passion to know you. Reveal yourself to me, help me to know your heart, your thoughts about me and transform me because of those encounters with you. Make me like you because of my time with you. Let others see you in my life and desire to know the one I know because they see you in me. Lord, I want to know you.